
j y^- 



-^.-^^ 



THE LIFE 



MAJOR GENERAL 



ZACHARY TAYLOE. 



BY H. MONTGOMERY 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 



BUFFALO: ' • 

DERBY & HEWSON, PUBLISHERS; 
auburn: j. c. derby & co. 

GENEVA, DERBY, WOOD <fe CO. 

1847. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by 

JAMES C. DERBY & CO. 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for 

the Northern District of New Yorlc. 



THOMAS B. SMITH, STKRKOTYPER, 
216 WILMAM STRKKT, N. Y. 



PREFACE. 



The sudden splendor with which General Taylor 
has burst upon the nation, has created in the pubUc 
mind an anxiety, as intense as it is universal, to be- 
come acquainted, not only with the brilliant deeds 
which have rendered his name so illustrious, but with 
all the incidents of his life from his youth to his first 
prominent appearance before the country, as com- 
mander-in-chief of the army, destined to operate against 
Mexico. It was to satisfy this anxiety more fully, if 
possible, and in a more durable form than it had yet 
been done, that this work has been prepared. The 
compiler claims for it no other merit than this over the 
many sketches of this eminent man's life that have pre- 
ceded it. He has labored under much embarrassment 
in collecting materials for a work claiming even that 
merit. So little had General Taylor sought public no- 
toriety, that almost his very name was unknown to a 
large portion of the American people, until the victories 
of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma revived the 
recollection of it. Even his heroic defence of Fort 



VI PREFACE. 



Harrison, and his services in Florida, were nearly for- 
gotten. 

The inconveniences arising from this cause were 
increased by the rapidity with which the materials 
had necessarily to be prepared. In less than seven 
weeks from the day the first " copy" was written and 
placed in the hands of the compositor, the last sheet 
had run through the press. In addition to its prepara- 
tion, the compiler had the management of a daily and 
weekly paper, and the various other duties connected 
with them upon his hands. Though the reader has a 
right to hold him strictly accountable for the imperfec- 
tions that may be discovered, yet he has some confi- 
dence that these circumstances will induce a less rigid 
exaction than he would have had any right to expect 
if he had possessed ampler materials, longer time to 
collect, and more leisure to prepare them. It is proper 
to say, however, that he has been careful to exclude 
everything not believed to be strictly authentic. Much 
of it has already been made public, principally through 
the newspaper press of the day. Some of this has 
been acknowledged in the appropriate place. But 
with the exception of Mr. Thorpe's excellent work, 
entitled " Our Army on the Rio Grande," the sources 
of his information are so various, that it would be as 
tedious as it is unnecessary to specify them. 

Auburn, June, 1847. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Life of General Zachary Taylor 13 

Taylor's Family and Parentage 14 

His Early Character 15 

A Hazardous Exploit 16 

Education and Youthful Associates 17 

Appointed Lieutenant in the Army 18 

War Declared 19 

A Night of Horror 20 

Defence of Fort Harrison 21 

The Official Account 22 

A Conflagration 23 

A Deserter's Return 24 

The Enemy's Retreat 25 

A Dangerous Position 26 

The Garrison Relieved 27 

Valor Rewarded 28 

Expedition against the Indians 29 

Anecdote of Major Taylor 30 

His Speech at Black River 31 

Arrival of Reinforcements 32 

Another Promotion 33 

CHAPTER 11. 

The Florida War 34 

Battle of Okee-cho-bee 37 

Victory of Okee-cho-bee 38 

The Details 39 

Meeting with an Indian Chief 40 

Indian Treachery 41 

A March by Night 42 

Alligator's Camp 43 

Dispositions for Battle 44 

The Final Arrangements 45 

The Attack Begun 46 

The Killed and Wounded 47 

Removing the Wounded 48 

Lieutenant-Colonel Davenport 49 

Gallantry of the Sixth 50 

Missouri Volunteers 51 

Fruits of the Victory 53 

Death of Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson 54 

Colonel Taylor Promoted 55 

Letter from his Camp 56 

Anecdote of General Taylor 57 

Sought to be Censured 58 

Employment of Bloodhounds &^ 



riil CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER III. 

PAGE. 

Annexation of Texas 60 

Private Instructions 61 

Views of the Government 62 

Taylor to repel Invasion 63 

Texas assents to Annexation 64 

Taylor's Instructions 65 

Troops ordered into Texas i^G 

A Naval Force to Co-operate 67 

Volunteers from other States 68 

What Acts considered Aggressive 69 

How to act in case of War 70 

What Position to be Occupied 71 

Taylor ordered to the Rio Grande 72 

To act on the Defensive 73 

General Taylor's Dispatches 74 

At St. Joseph's Island 75 

Health of the Army 76 

At Corpus Christi 77 

Character of his Troops 78 

Occupation of Point Isabel 79 

Advantages of that Position 80 

Army to be Concentrated 81 

Further Instructions Required 82, 83 

Ordered to the Rio Grande 84 

Armed Vessels Required 85 

General Taylor's Policy 86 

Army leaves Corpus Christi 87 

Conciliatory Orders 88 

Good Condition of the Army 89 

Arrives at Point Isabel 90 

Fire at Point Isabel 91 

A Mexican Protest 92, 93 

Hostility of the Mexicans 94 

Mexican Preparations for War 95 

A Summons to General Taylor 96 

General Taylor's Reply 97 

His Refusal to Comply 98 

The Rio Grande Blockaded 99 

Ampudia's Protest 100 

General Taylor's Pacific Intentions 101 

Reviews his Acts 102 

Responsibility Assumed 103 

General Ampudia's Complaints 104 

Warlike Preparations 105 

Attempt at Corruption 106 

Mexicans Cross the Rio Grande 107 

Surprise of Captain Thornton 108 

Mexican Rejoicing 109 

CHAPTER IV. 

General Taylor leaves Fort Brown 110 

Mexican Boasting 112 



CONTENTS. IX 

FAOK. 

A Charge of Cowardice 113 

Fort Brown Bombarded 114 

The Enemy's Account of it 1 15 

Their Opinion of American Troops 116 

What they consider a Triumph 117 

Mexican Valor 118 

Death of Major Brown 120 

Summons to Fort Brown 121 

Their Fire recommenced 122 

A Happy Omen 123 

Taylor leaves Point Isabel 124 

The Position of the Enemy 125 

The Battle begun 126 

Effect of our Artillery 127 

Lieutenant Ridgeley's Gallantry 128 

Firmness of the Mexicans 131 

Death of Major Ringgold 132 

The Killed and Wounded 133 

Taylor's Official AccoUnt 134 — 137 

Mexican Official Account 138 — 140 

CHAPTER V. 

Resaca de la Palma 141 

General Taylor's Line of Battle 142 

Character of the Mexican Troops 143 

Driven from the Ravine 144 

May's Charge 145 

Lieutenant Lincoln's Heroism 146 

Incidents of the Battle 147 

Fall of Colonel M'Intosh 148 

A Brave Mexican 149 

Mexican Confidence of Victory 150 

Taylor's Official Account 151 

Capture of La Vega 154 

The Enemy Retreat 155 

American Loss ISq 

The Causes of our Success 15/ 

Instances of Individual Gallantry 158 

Good Conduct of the Officers 159 

Details of May's Charge 160, 161 

An Awkward Position 162 

Review of the Actions 1"3 

Loss of the Mexican Army 164 

Character of the Mexican Troops 165 

Importance of Discipline 1"6 

Character of the Battles 168 

European Opinions of the Action 169 

Anxiety at Fort Brown 1 j^O 

A Painful Dilemma 1 '1 

The News of Victory 172 

Flight of the Defeated l'''^ 

Terror of the Mexicans l^f 

A Dreadful Scene 1"5 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGK. 

A Cowardly Mexican General 170 

Anecdote of General Taylor 177 

A Disappointment 178 

CHAPTER VI. 

Barita Captured 179 

Preparations for capturing Matamoras 180 

Negotiation for the Surrender 181 

Interview with the Prefect. 182 

Our Troops cross the River 183 

Death of Lieutenant George Stevens 184 

The American Army in Matamoras 185 

A Mercenary Official 186 

Pursuit of the Flying Mexicans 187 

Sad End of Lofty Expectations 188 

Condition of Affairs at Matamoras 1 89 

Wounded American Officers 190 

General Taylor reinforced 191 

Reorganization of the Mexican Government 192 

General Taylor marches for Monterey 193 

His Arrival there 194 

Encamps at Walnut Springs 195 

Preparations for the Attack 190 

Attack upon an advanced Battery 197 

Garland's Command enter the Town 198 

Charge upon the Second Battery 201 

A Foothold obtained 202 

Severe American Loss 203 

The Enemy evacuate their Works 204 

Americans Storm the City 205 

Proposal to Evacuate 206 

Terms of Capitulation 207 

Americans enter the City 208 

Gallantry of Officers 209 

Commended to the Government 210 

Good Conduct of Soldiers 21 1 

Death of Captain VViUiams 212 

Further Details of the Action 213 

Eagerness for the Conflict 214 

Prospects of a Bloody Fight 2 1 5 

Incidents of the Attack 2l6, 2l7 

Dangerous Enterprise 21 8 

Gallantly Accomplished 219 

Storming a Fort 220 

Instances of Individual Courage. 221 

A Barbarous Deed 223 

Capture of the Bishop's Palace 223 

Gallantry of General Worth 224 

. Services of the Texan Rangers 225 

Terms of Capitulation L^nsatisfactory 226 

Operations of General Taylor 227 

Officers Killed and V/ounded 228 

Mississippi Volunteers 229 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGE. 

A ^lag of Truce 230 

Incidents of the Capitulation 231 

Storming of Monterey 232, 233 

General Taylor's Defence 234—236 

The Advantages of the Terms 237 

Letter from General Taylor 238 

His contemplated Movements 239 

Suggestions to his Government 240 

Forces required to take Vera Cruz 241 

Establishes himself at Monterey 242 

Takes Possession of Saitillo 243 

Scott ordered to Mexico 244 

Scott's Letter to Taylor 245 

His Intentions 246 

Withdrawal of Taylor's Forces 247 

Taylor's Address to his Troops 248 

Surprise of Colonel May 249 

Taylor encamps at Buena Vista 250 

CHAPTER YII. 

Battle of Buena Vista 251 

Advantages of Taylor's Position 252 

A Gorgeous Scene ; 253 

General Taylor's Line of Battle 254 

A Humane Proposition 255 

The Attack commenced 256 

Colonel Hardin's Charge 257 

An Attempt to Outflank Taylor 258 

Flight of the Indiana Regiment 259 

Great Havoc among the Enemy 260 

Attack upon our Train 261 

A Mexican Stratagem 262 

An Amusing Demand 263 

Effect of Duplicity 264 

Victory nearly turned to Defeat 265 

A Noble Charge 266 

An Exciting Moment 267 

A Sudden Charge 268 

Death of Clay, Hardin, and McKee 269 

Captain Bragg's Battery 270 

Narrow Escape of Taylor 273 

A Dearly Purchased Victery 274 

Some of the Martyrs 275 

General Taylor's Official Report 276—293 

Santa Anna's Humane Summons 294 

Santa Anna's Account 295 

His Embarrassments 296 

A Charge of Treason 297 

Force under his Command 298 

The Plan of Battle 299 

A Mexican Deserter 300 

A Sad Disappointment 301 

An Imagined Retreat 302 



Xll CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Misrepresentation of Taylor's Forces 303 

Santa Anna commences the Attack 304 

Disposition of his Forces 305 

Admits his Heavy Losses 306 

Great Glory he acquired 307 

Bravery of his Officers 308 

Why Taylor got off so well 309 

How the Americans were frightened 310 

Why Santa Anna deserted ms Wounded 311 

Difficulties of his Position 312 

Expectations for the Future 31 3 

The Battle described in Poetry 314—316 

A Mexican Poem 317,318 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Dark Features of War 319 

Taylor's Gratulations to his Army 320 

His Humane Disposition 321 

Letter of Condolence to Mr. Clay 322 

Letter to Ex-Governor Lincoln 323 

His '' are for the Slain 324 

An Interesting Private Letter 325 

Reference to the Presidency 326 

Reasons for leaving Agua Nueva 327 

The Attack 328 

A Critical Moment 329 

The Enemy Retreat 330 

A Reasonable Hope 331 

Their Army Routed 332 

Sketch of Martyrs at Buena Vista 333 

Appearance of the Enemy 334 

Instances of Taylor's Humanity 335 

The Horrors of War 336 

An Affecting Spectacle 337 

Taylor on the Battle Field 338 

Arrival of Mexican Dispatches 339 

General Taylor's Reply, 340—342 

His Coolness at Monterey 343 

His shnple Tastes 3-14 

Anecdotes of Him 345—348 

A GenU^man Volunteer. 349 

Taylor's Ability in Composition 350 

His Character 352—358 

His Military Talents 359 

His Happy Temperament 360 



LIFE 



OP 



GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



CHAPTER I. 



\L£ Taylor Family— Colonel Richard Taylor— Birth of Zachary Tay 
lor — His youth — Early indications of Character — Education — Disad- 
vantages he labored under — His Bold and Adventurous Disposition — 
Hazardous Exploit — Love of Military Display — Receives a Lieuten- 
ant's Commission in the Regular Army — Promoted to the rank of 
Captain — His Gallant Defence of Fort Harrison — The Account of 
the Engagement — Receives the Brevet of Major — Expedition against 
the Indians — Services in the Black Hawk War — Promoted succes- 
sively to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel — Appointed 
Indian Agent. 

Zachary Taylor is descended from an ancient and 
distinguished English family, which emigrated to Amer- 
ica and settled in the eastern part of the colony of 
Virginia, in the year 1692, and the name has been in- 
timately identified and interwoven with the civil, polit- 
ical, and military history of Virginia, both as a weak 
and languishing colony, and a great and powerful com- 
monwealth, from that day to the present. Amongst 
others with whom General Zachary Taylor is con- 
nected, either by the ties of consanguinity or marriage, 



14 Taylor's family and parentage. 

and whose names have rendered its history iUustrious, 
are numbered the Madisons, Lees, Barbom's, Pendle- 
tons, Conways, Talafieros, Hunts, Gaineses, &c. 

The father of Zachary Taylor held a colonel's com- 
mission throughout the Revclutior, and served with 
great valor during that long and unequal struggle, 
much of the time with Washington himself, and re- 
taining in all emergencies, and under every difficulty, 
his confidence and esteem. He was engaged in many 
of the most fiercely contested and bloody battles of 
the war, and particularly at Trenton, where he ren- 
dered distinguished and valuable aid to the commander- 
in-chief, in that brilliant achievement. 

In 1790 Colonel Taylor emigrated to Kentucky, in 
company with Colonels Croghan and Bullitt, when 
that territory was but little more than an Indian hunt- 
ing ground. It was then the scene of frequent fierce 
and bloody strifes between the various tribes which 
inhabited it, and murderous excursions against the 
emigrant population who had settled there. From 
these desperate and bloody encounters, amongst them- 
selves and with the white man, Kentucky derived the 
name of the " Dark and Bloody Ground." 

In many of these encounters Colonel Taylor bore a 
conspicuous part, and by his bold and daring conduct, 
and ceaseless vigilance, rendered his name a terror to 
the merciless foe. After peace was established, he 
held many honorable and responsible positions. He 
was one of the framers of the constitution of Ken- 
tucky ; represented Jefferson county, and Louisville 
city for many years in both branches of the state legis- 
lature, and was a member of the electoral colleges 
which voted for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Clay. 
Among the poUticians of Kentucky, he is remembered 



HIS EARLY CHARACTER. 15 

as one of the few men of the Old Court party, who 
could be elected during the excitement of the "Old 
Court and New Court question." 

Colonel Taylor died on his plantation near Louis- 
ville, Kentucky, leaving three sons, (his second and 
fourth sons, George and William, having died pre- 
viously,) Hancock, Zachary and Joseph, and three 
daughters, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Emily. 

Hancock, Elizabeth, and Emily, have died since 
their father, so that Joseph and Sarah are the only 
brother and sister of Zachary now living. The de- 
scendants of the deceased members of the family, with 
two exceptions, live in and near Louisville, Kentucky. 

Zachary Taylor was born in Orange county, Vir- 
ginia, in 1790, and was less than a year old when his 
father emigrated to Kentucky. His youth was there- 
fore spent, and his character formed, amidst the dan- 
gers and difficulties of Indian warfare, and the hard- 
ships and privations ever incident to a frontier life. 
His boyhood was distinguished by indications of that 
straightforward, manly independence of character, in- 
flexibility of purpose, frank and open disposition, fore- 
sight, decision and energy ; modest and retiring de- 
meanor, and thoughtful, inquiring mind, that have 
since borne him so triumphantly through difficulties 
and dangers before which men educated in a less 
severe school would have shrunk in despair, until he 
has wrought out a name that will fill one of the bright- 
est pages in American history. 

Many family and neighborhood anecdotes are told 
to illustrate his daring and adventurous character, and 
his love for dangerous enterprises. Night after night 
he was in the habit of seeing the house barricaded, and 
the arms prepared to repel any attack that might be 



16 A HAZARDOUS EXPLOIT. 

made before the morning dawned. Scarcely a week 
passed that there was not an alarm, or an actual in- 
cursion of Indians amongst the settlements. Even on 
his way to school he was in danger of the tomahaw^k 
and scalping knife. On one occasion, some of his 
schoolmates were murdered and scalped by the In- 
dians, within a hundred yards from the point where 
he and his brothers had separated from them. 

When but seventeen years old he swam across the 
Ohio river, from the Kentucky to the Indiana shore, in 
the month of March, when the river w^as filled with 
floating ice, which is a feat far surpassing in danger 
and difficulty the far-famed exploit of swimming the 
Hellespont. Many other well-attested anecdotes are 
related of his daring adventures, and his love of bold 
and dangerous exploits. He took great delight in 
fishing and hunting, and was often absent, roaming 
through forests and over boundless prairies, for days and 
nights together, in quest of game. No obstacle would 
dampen his indomitable energy, or discourage him 
from attempting the most hazardous enterprises. 

As may well be understood, young Taylor enjoyed 
but few advantages for acquiring a practical, much 
less an ornamental or classical education. The char- 
acter of the schools of Kentucky, at that time, as in 
all other new and sparsely settled districts, were not 
of a very elevated character. The few schools then, 
were supported by private munificence, and were not 
of a character to lay a very broad or deep foundation 
for those attainments, and that useful superstructure of 
knowledge, which the superior facilities of the present 
day render so easy of access. But few as w^ere the 
advantages afforded him, his ever active and inquiring 
mind, his great love of learning, his remarkably strong 



EDUCATION AND YOUTHFUL ASSOCIATES. 17 

and retentive memory, and above all, his iron will and 
great tenacity of pm-pose, more that compensated, in 
his case, for what otherwise would have confined his 
acquirements to the commonest rudiments of an Eng- 
lish education. But by the aid of these striking char- 
acteristics, he was enabled to overcome all difficulties, 
and to store his mind with a fund of information that 
few have acquired, even under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances. The elegance, beauty and simplicity of 
his official dispatches from Mexico, stamp him as one 
of the chastest and most accomplished WTiters of the 
day. 

Amongst Taylor's most intimate associates at school, 
were Col. Joseph P. Taylor, who afterwards distin- 
guished himself at the battle of Okee-cho-bee, during the 
Florida war, and has now the control of the commissary 
department in Mexico, and Col. George Croghan, sub- 
sequently the hero of Fort Sandusky, and at present 
holding a high post in the army of the United States. 
He remained with his family, in Kentucky, until the 
year 1808, when the capture of the United States 
Frigate Chesapeake, by the British Frigate Leopard, 
fired the whole country w^ith indignation, and fearfully 
increased the feelings of animosity that the repeated 
aggressions of the English nation had already raised to 
so high a pitch. Young Taylor partook of the general 
excitement to its full extent, and eagerly seized upon 
the occasion as a favorable moment to gratify his anx- 
ious desire to enter the army, and at the same time to 
assist in vindicating the outraged honor of his country's 
flag. Accordingly he lost no time in making his wishes 
known. He therefore applied to Mr. Jefterson for a 
commission in the army, and, by the aid of his power- 
ful family connections, his application was successful ; 



18 APPOINTED LIEUTENANT IN THE ARMY. 

and on the 3rd of May, 1808, when only eighteen years 
old, he received a commission as first heutenant in the 
Seventh Regiment of United States Infantry. His 
young ambition was now satisfied, and a wide field 
opened before him for the gratification of his long in- 
dulged and ardent aspirations for military fame. He 
had almost from his earliest youth evinced a strong in- 
clination for martial exercises, and his greatest pleasure 
consisted in playing the soldier and acting the mock 
hero at the head of an army of equally young patriots. 
In these mimic battles he exhibited, on a small scale, 
the germ of that genius for command, and military skill 
and talent, which have since been so eminently devel- 
oped. 

From the time he entered the army until the break- 
ing out of the war with England, but little occurred in 
the life of the young lieutenant to break the monoto- 
nous round of every-day duty, to which soldiers arc 
bound when not in actual service. He passed his time 
in the duties of his position, and in perfecting himself 
in a knowledge of the profession he had chosen. He 
brought to the task the same untiring industry and firm 
determination to understand the science of war, which 
he had ever shown in whatever pursuit or study he en- 
tered upon. It was probably during these compara- 
tively leisure years, that he acquired that acquaintance 
with military tactics which is so necessary to the suc- 
cessful commander, and which afterwards served to 
place him amongst the first generals of the day. 

Previous to the breaking out of hostilities, the Eng- 
lish government, through its agents, had been unceas- 
ing in its efforts to induce the Miamies and other tribes 
of western Indians to take up arms against the United 
States, and had been unscrupulous in the use of money 



WAR DECLARED. 19 

and means to accomplish this end. Their agents had 
been partially successful in enlisting several savage 
tribes in their plans. The threatened outbreak, how- 
ever, was discovered before their schemes had quite 
matured, and by the promptness, energy, and vigilance 
of General William Henry Harrison, who was then 
governor of the Northwest Territory, their intentions 
were anticipated, and a detachment of troops under his 
command was marched into the enemy's country- 
While on this expedition Governor Harrison deter- 
mined to build a fort on the Wabash, in Indiana, about 
fifty miles above Vincennes, which was afterwards 
knowai as Fort Harrison. Lieutenant Taylor was ac- 
tively engaged in this expedition, and in overawing the 
Indians in other quarters. At the beginning of 1812, 
Lieutenant Taylor was promoted to the rank of cap- 
tain, by President Madison. 

On the 19th of June, 1812, a declaration of war was 
formally declared against Great Britain by the United 
States Congress, and sanctioned by the President. 
Captain Taylor had but a few weeks before been placed 
in command of Fort Harrison, a rude and weak stock- 
ade, garrisoned by only fifty soldiers, most of w^hom, 
like himself, were worn down and disabled by their 
long and severe service. Almost in the very midst of 
an enemy's country, surrounded on all sides by a sleep- 
less and savage foe, and kept constantly on the alert, 
night and day, for weeks together, it is not to be won- 
dered at that Taylor and his men should nearly have 
sunk under the fatigue and labor they had so long en- 
dured. While in this wretched state, with scarcely a 
dozen men fit for service, he was attacked, on the night 
of the 5th of September, 1812, after an ineffectual at- 
tempt to get possession of the fort by stratagem, by a 



20 A NIGHT OF HORROR. 

force of four hundred and fifty Indians. But Captain 
Taylor had taken his measures with too much prudence 
to be captured either by stratagem or force, as weak 
as were his defences and few his men. 

The attack was commenced about eleven o'clock 
at night, amidst the excitement and confusion occa- 
sioned by the burning of the lower block-house, which 
contained the property of the contractor, and which 
they had previously fired. The Indians, confident of 
victory, had completely surrounded the little garrison, 
and commenced firing upon it from all sides, simulta- 
neously with the firing of the block-house. But Cap- 
tain Taylor was undismayed, either by the overwhelm- 
ing number of his enemy and their murderous fire, or 
the more dangerous element of destruction they had 
called to their aid. He calmly gave his orders for hav- 
ing the fire extinguished, but for a long time all efforts 
were fruitless. The fire communicated to the roof, in 
spite of every effort to check it. The scene at this 
time is represented as truly appalling. The raging of 
the fire, the yelling and howling of several hundred In- 
dians, and the cries of women and children who had 
taken shelter there, together with the unceasing dis- 
charge of guns, must have been enough to appal the 
stoutest heart. Yet we find this stripling captain, only 
twenty-two years of age, boldly meeting them all, and 
giving his orders for suppressing the fire, and repelling 
the attack of his four hundred savage foes, with as 
much coolness as the oldest veteran. By his great 
presence of mind, and his well-directed eflforts, the 
flames were at length arrested, and the fire finally sub- 
dued. Having extinguished the fire, and erected a tem- 
porary breastwork, the fire of the enemy was returned 
with redoubled vigor during the whole night, and with 



DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON. 21 

such success, that at six o'clock in the morning, the en- 
emy gave up the contest in despair, and withdrew their 
forces. In this gallant defence, Captain Taylor only 
lost two men killed, and two wounded. But his letter 
to General Harrison, giving a graphic and detailed ac- 
count of the defence of Fort Harrison, and the inci- 
dents connected with it, will obviate the necessity of 
any other description of that terrible night, and be far 
more interesting. Captain Taylor says : — 

"On Thursday evening, 3rd instant, after retreat- 
beating, four guns were heard to fire in the direction 
where two young men (citizens who resided here) 
were making hay, about four hundred yards distant 
from the fort. I was immediately impressed with an 
idea that they were killed by the Indians, as the Mi- 
amies or Weas had that day informed me that the 
Prophet's party would soon be here for the purpose of 
commencing hostilities, and that they had been directed 
to leave this place, which they were about to do. I 
did not think it prudent to send out at that late hour 
of the night to see what had become of them, and their 
not coming convinced me that I was right in my con- 
jecture. I waited until eight o'clock next morning, 
when I sent out a corporal with a small party to find 
them, if it could be done without running too much 
risk of being drawn into an ambuscade. He soon sent 
back to inform me, that he had found them both killed, 
and wished to know my further orders. I sent the cart 
and oxen, had them brought in and buried. They had 
been shot with two balls, scalped and cut in the most 
shocking manner. Late in the evening of the 4th in- 
stant, old Joseph Lenar, and between thirty and forty 
Indians, arrived from the Prophet's town, with a white 
flag; among whom were about ten women, and the 



2S THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 

men were composed of chiefs of the tribes which com- 
pose the Prophet's party. 

" A Shawanee man that spoke good EngUsh, informed 
me that old Lenar intended to speak to me next morn- 
ing, and try to get something to eat. After retreat- 
beating, I examined the men's arms, and found them 
all in good order, and completed their cartridges to 
sixteen rounds per man. As I had not been able to 
mount a guard of more than six privates and two non- 
commissioned officers for some time past, and some- 
times part of them every other day, from the unhealth- 
iness of the company, I had not conceived my force 
adequate to the defence of this post, should it be vigor- 
ously attacked, for some time past. As I had just 
recovered from a very severe attack of the fever, I 
was not able to be up much through the night. 

" After tattoo, I cautioned the guard to be vigilant, 
and ordered one of the non-commissioned officers, as 
the sentinel could not see every part of the garrison, 
to walk around on the inside during the night, to pre- 
vent the Indians taking any advantage of us, provided 
they had any intention of attacking us. About eleven 
o'clock, I was awakened by the firing of one of the 
sentinels. I sprung up, ran out, and ordered the men 
to their posts, when my orderly sergeant (who had 
charge of the upper block-house) called out that the 
Indians had fired the lower block-house, (which con- 
tained the property of the contractors, which was de- 
posited in the upper part, the lower part having been 
assigned to a corporal and ten privates as an alarm 
post.) The guns had begun to fire pretty smartly from 
both sides. I directed the buckets to be got ready, 
and water brought from the well, and the fire extin- 
guished immediately, as it was perceivable at that 



A CONFLAGRATION. 23 

time ; but from debility, or some other cause, the men 
were very slow in executing my orders. The word 
fire appeared to throw the whole of them into confu- 
sion; and by the time they had got the water, and 
broken open the door, the fire had unfortunately com- 
municated to a quantity of whiskey, (the stock having 
licked several holes through the lower part of the build- 
ing, after the salt that was stored there, through which 
ihey had introduced the fire without being discovered, 
as the night was very dark,) and in spite of every ex- 
ertion we could make use of, in less than a minute it 
ascended to the roof, and baffled every effort we could 
make to extinguish it. 

"As that block-house adjoined the barracks that 
made part of the fortifications, most of the men imme- 
diately gave themselves up for lost, and I had the 
greatest difficulty in getting my orders executed ; and, 
sir — what from the raging of the fire — the yelling and 
howling of several hundred Indians — the cries of nine 
women and children (a part soldiers' and a part citi- 
zens' wives, who had taken shelter in the fort) — and a 
desponding of so many of the men, which was worse 
than all — I can assure you that my feelings were very 
unpleasant ; and, indeed, there were not more than ten 
or fifteen men able to do anything at all, the others 
being sick or convalescent ; and to add to our other 
misfortunes, two of our stoutest men jumped the pickets 
and left. But my presence of mind did not for a mo- 
ment forsake me. I saw by throwing off* part of the 
roof that joined the block-house that was on fire, and 
keeping the end perfectly wet, the whole row of build- 
ings might be saved, and leave only an entrance of 
eighteen or twenty feet for the Indians to enter, after 
the house was consumed ; and that a temporary breast- 



24 A DESERTER S RETURN. 

work might be formed to prevent their entering even 
there. I convinced the men that this could be accom- 
phshed, and it appeared to inspire them with new Ufe ; 
and never did men act with more firmness or despera- 
tion. Those that were able, (while others kept up a 
constant fire from the upper block-house and the two 
bastions,) mounted the roofs of the houses, with Doctor 
Clark at their head, (who acted with the greatest firm- 
ness and presence of mind, the whole time the attack 
lasted, which was seven hours,) under a shower of bul- 
lets, and in less than a moment threw off as much of 
the roof as was necessary. This was done, with one 
man killed, and two wounded, and I am in hopes nei- 
ther of them dangerously. The man that was killed 
was a little deranged, and did not get off of the house 
as soon as directed, or he would not have been hurt ; 
and although the barracks were several times in a 
blaze, and an immense quantity of fire against them, 
the men used such exertion, that they kept it under, 
and before day raised a temporary breastwork as high 
as a man's head. Although the Indians continued to 
pour in a heavy fire of ball, and an innumerable quan- 
tity of arrows, during the whole time the attack lasted, 
in every part of the parade, I had but one other man 
killed — nor any other wounded inside the fort — and he 
lost his life by being too anxious. He got into one of 
the gallies in the bastions, and fired over the pickets, 
and called out to his comrades that he had killed an 
Indian, and neglecting to stoop down in an instant, he 
was shot. 

" One of the men that jumped the pickets, returned 
an hour before day, and running up towards the gate, 
begged for God's sake for it to be opened. I suspected 
it to be a stratagem of the Indians to get in, as I did 



TUE ENEMY S RETREAT. 25 

not recollect the voice ; I directed the men in the bas- 
tion where I happened to be, to shoot him, let him be 
who he would, and one of them fired at him, but for- 
tunately he ran up the other bastion, where they knew 
his voice, and Dr, Clark directed him to lie close to 
the pickets, behind an empty barrel that happened to 
be there, and at daylight I had him let in. His arm 
was broken in a most shocking manner, which he says 
was done by the Indians, which I suppose w^as the 
cause of his returning. I think it probable that he will 
not recover. The other they caught about one hun- 
dred and thirty yards from the garrison, and cut him 
all to pieces. After keeping up a constant fire until 
about six o'clock the next morning, which we began to 
return with some effect, after daylight they removed 
out of reach of our guns. A party of them drove up 
the horses that belonged to the citizens here, and as 
they could not catch them very readily, shot the whole 
of them in our sight, as well as a number of their hogs. 
They drove off the whole of the cattle, which amounted 
to sixty-five head, as well as the public oxen. I had 
the vacancy filled up before night (which was made 
by the burning of the block-house) with a strong row 
of pickets, which I got by pulling down the guard- 
house. We lost the whole of our provisions, but must 
make out to live upon green corn, until we can get a 
supply, which I am in hopes will not be long. I be- 
lieve the whole of the Miamies or Weas were amons: 
the Prophet's party, as one chief gave his orders in 
that language, v/hich resembled Stone Eater's voice, 
and I believe Negro Legs was there likewise. A 
Frenchman here understands their different languages ; 
and several of the Miamies or Weas that have been 

2 



26 A DANGEROUS POSITIO?J. 

frequently here were recognized by the Frenchman 
and soldiers next morning. 

" The Indians sufl^ered smartly, but were so nume- 
rous as to take off all that were shot. They continued 
with us until the next morning, but made no further 
attempt on the fort, nor have we seen anything more 
of them since. I have delayed informing you of my 
situation, as I did not like to weaken the garrison, and 
I looked for some person from Vincennes, and none of 
my men were acquainted with the woods, and there- 
fore I would either have to take the road or river, 
which I was fearful was guarded by small parties of 
Indians, that would no* dare attack a company of 
rangers that was on a scout ; but, being disappointed, 
I have at length determined to send a couple of my 
men by water, and am in hopes they will arrive safe. 
I think it would be best to send the provisions under a 
pretty strong escort, as the Indians may attempt to 
prevent their coming. If you carry on an expedition 
against the Prophet this fall, you ought to be well pro- 
vided with everything, as you may calculate on having 
every inch of ground disputed, between this and there, 
that they can defend with advantage." 

Three days after, Captain Taylor again addressed 
General Harrison as follows : — " I wrote you on the 
10th instant, giving you an account of the attack on 
this place, as well as my situation, which account I at- 
tempted to send by water, but the two men whom I 
dispatched in a canoe after night, found the river so 
well guarded that they were obliged to return. The 
Indians had built a fire on tlie bank of the river, a 
short distance below the garrison, which gave them an 
opportunity of seeing any craft that might attempt to 
pass, and were waiting with a canoe ready to intercept 



THE GARRISON REIJEVED. 27 

it. I expect the fort, as well as the road to VincenRes, 
is as well or better watched than the river. But my 
situation compels me to make one other attempt by 
land, and my orderly sergeant, with one other man, 
sets out to night, with strict orders to avoid the road 
in the daytime, and depend entirely on the woods, al- 
though neither of them has ever been to Vincennes by 
land, nor do they know anything of the country ; but 
I am in hopes they will reach you in safety. I send 
them with great reluctance, from their ignorance of 
the woods. I think it very probable there is a large 
party of Indians waylaying the road between this and 
Vincennes, likely about the Narrows, for the purpose 
of intercepting any party that may be coming to this 
place, as the cattle they got here will supply them plen- 
tifully with provisions for some time to come." 

The same modesty and forgetfulness of himself mark 
this unpretending account of his heroic and successful 
defence of a post almost defenceless, that has character- 
ized every act of his life, and especially that so eminently 
distinguished his official dispatches at a later period. 
Though the style of his composition is immature, and 
in some degree obscure and inelegant, compared with 
his subsequent writings, yet it is distinguished by the 
same vigor of thought and manly independence of 
manner. 

Soon after this dispatch was written. Captain Tay- 
lor was reinforced by Colonel Russell, with several 
companies of Rangers and Indiana volunteers. At the 
time of the fortunate arrival of these forces the little 
garrison w^as in a most wretched condition, being out 
of provisions, three-fourths of them disabled from duty 
by sickness and fatigue, and destitute of almost every 
necessary for health or comfort. But for the relief 



28 VALOR REWARDED. 

brought them, they must either have abandoned the 
fort at once, or died with hunger. Supphes of pro- 
visions had been forwarded, but the wagons were cap- 
tured, and the escort killed nearly to a man. 

The Indians w^ere greatly incensed at their disgrace- 
ful repulse, and the loss they suffered, and retaliated 
upon the Americans, by attacking an unarmed settle- 
ment, and murdering about twenty inhabitants. But 
the country was filled with the highest admiration for 
the gallant and noble conduct of the young captain. 
The repulse of four hundred Indians, by an officer 
only twenty-two years old, with only fifty men, three- 
fourths of whom were on the sick list, and arresting at 
the same time a destructive fire that had broken out in 
one of his block-houses, was looked upon as indicating 
the very first order of military talent, and deserving 
the highest commendation. For his valuable services 
to the country, and his daring courage on this occa- 
sion, the brevet rank of major was conferred upon 
Captain Taylor, being the first brevet commission con- 
ferred during the war, and the oldest one in the army. 
His praises were on every tongue throughout the 
whole western country, and the most flattering com- 
pliments were bestowed upon him. Amongst others, 
Major-General Hopkins spoke in the warmest terms of 
commendation of him, in a letter to Governor Shelby, 
of Kentucky. He said, " the firm and almost unparab 
leled defence of Fort Harrison, by Captain Zachary 
Taylor, has raised for him a fabric of character not to 
be effaced by eulogy." His victory, like all his sub- 
sequent triumphs, was won with an overwhelming 
odds against him, and it inspired the highest confidence 
amongst his superior officers, in his courage, skill, and 
judgment. 



EXPEDITION AGAINST THE INDIANS. 



29 



Shortly after the battle of Fort Harrison, Major 
Taylor was dispatched on an expedition against the 
Prophet's and Winnebago towns, under General Hop- 
kins, in which he displayed the same vigilance and 
energy that had signalized his previous conduct. These 
to\A ns, and also some other Indian villages, were entirely 
destroyed. In all these operations Major Taylor bore 
a conspicuous part, and his gallant conduct was favor- 
ably referred to by General Hopkins, in his official dis- 
patches of these transactions against the Indians. By 
these active and efficient measures, the power of the 
Indians was nearly destroyed, and their strength so 
much broken, that the western settlers enjoyed com- 
parative security from their incursions for many years. 
Though Major Taylor, from the peculiar circum- 
stances ""of his position, had no other opportunity dur- 
ing the war, of signalizing himself; yet he rendered 
equally valuable services to the country, by keeping in 
awe the numerous tribes of western savages, and pre- 
venting them, in a great measure, from rendering effi- 
cient aid to the British. 

From the termination of the war in the beginning 
of 1815, to 1832, when the Black Hawk war broke out, 
he was stationed at various posts in the West, as the 
interests of the service required, always active and 
faithful in the performance of the duties of his profes- 
sion, and scKipulously exact in requiring it from those 
under his command. In 1832, previous to which he 
had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, 
he was assigned to the command of the regular troops 
in the Black Hawk war, and endured all the hardships 
and privations of that vexatious war. At the battle 
of the Bad- Axe, which resulted in the capture of Black 
Hawk and the Prophet, and in the overwhelming de- 



30 ANECDOTE OF MAJOR TAYLOR. 

feat of their forces, he particularly distinguished him- 
self, and had an important agency in bringing the war 
to a close. He commanded the regular troops, in this 
fiercely contested and destructive engagement, as he 
had during the long and trying march through the 
wilderness in pursuit of the enemy. 

An anecdote of Taylor, that occurred during the 
early scenes of the Black Hawk war, is related by C. 
F. Hoffman, Esq., which may here be appropriately 
introduced as illustrative of his character, and fore- 
shadowing those remarkable qualities of mind that 
have since shone forth so brilliantly on so m.any trying 
occasions. As such it will undoubtedly prove interest- 
ing to the reader. Such incidents, indeed, of such a 
man are always not only interesting, but valuable and 
instructive as a preface or introduction to the charac- 
ter of the man. 

Some time alter Stillman's defeat by Black Hawk's 
band, Taylor, marching with a large body of volunteers 
and a handful of regulars in pursuit of the hostile In- 
dian force, found himself approaching Rock R-iver, 
then asserted by many to be the true north-western 
boundary of the State of Illinois. The volunteers, as 
Taylor w^as informed, vv^ould refuse to cross the stream. 
They were militia, they said, called out for the defence 
of the State, and it w^as unconstitutional to order them 
to march beyond its frontier into the Indian country. 
Taylor thereupon halted his command, and encamped 
within the acknowledged boundaries of Illinois. He 
would not, as the relater of the story said, budge an 
inch further without orders. He had already driven 
Black Hawk out of the State, but the question of 
crossing Rock River seemed hugely to trouble his 
ideas of integrity to the constitution on one side, and 



HI3 SPEKCH AT ROCK RIVER. 31 

military expediency on the other. During the night, 
however, orders came, either from General Scott or 
General Atkinson, for him to follow up Black Hawk to 
the last. The quietness of the Regular colonel mean- 
while had rather encouraged the mutinous militia to 
bring their proceedings to a head. A sort of town- 
meeting was called upon the prairie, and Taylor in- 
vited to attend. After listening for some time very 
quietly to the proceedings, it became Rough and 
Ready's turn to address the chair. '■ He had heard," 
he said, " with much pleasure the views w^hich several 
speakers had expressed of the independence and dig- 
nity of each private American citizen. He felt that 
all gentlemen there present were his equals — in reality, 
he was persuaded that many of them vvould in a few 
years be his superiors, and perhaps, in the capacity of 
Members of Congress, arbiters of the fortune and repu- 
tation of humble servants of the Republic like himself. 
He expected then to obey them as interpreters of the 
will of the people ; and the best proof he could give 
that he would obey them, was now to observe the or- 
ders of those whom the people had already put in the 
places of authority, to which many gentlemen around 
him justly aspired. In plain English, gentlemen and 
fellow-citizens, the word has been passed on to me 
from Washington, to follow Black Hawk, and to take 
you with me as soldiers. I mean to do both. There 
are the flat-boats drawn up on the shore, and here are 
Uncle Sam's men drawn up behind you on the prairie." 
" Stra-anger," added the man who told the stoiy, 
" the way those militia-men sloped into those flat-boats 
was a caution. Not another word was said. Had 
Zach Taylor been with Van Rensselaer at Niagara 



32 ARRIVAL OF REINFORCEMENTS. 

River, in the last war, I rayther think he'd a taught 
him how to get mihtia-men over a ferry." 

Taylor, as is well known, did follow Black Hawk 
through the prairies of northern Illinois — through the 
wooded gorges, the rocky fells, the plashy rice-pools, 
the hitherto unbroken wilderness of western Wisconsin. 
The militia-men gave out from day to day ; the coun- 
try became impassable to horses, and the volunteer 
settlers who had first seized arms merely to repel an 
Indian foray, refused to submit their backs to the 
necessary burdens in carrying their own supplies 
through the deep swamps and almost impervious for- 
ests. At last the very Indians themselves, whom 
Taylor thus desperately pursued from day to day, and 
week to week, began to sink from fatigue and exhaus- 
tion : they were found by our men stretched beside 
their trails, while yet the good Anglo-Norman blood of 
Taylor's band held out amid sufferings in the wilderness 
which the child of the forest himself could not endure. 
The battle of the Bad-Axe, and the rout of Black 
Hawk by Taylor, at length terminated this arduous 
march. 

The steamer bearing Atkinson and his reinforce- 
ments, reached the junction of the Bad- Axe and the 
Mississippi, just as the encounter was over, and we 
believe brought Taylor along with his prisoners back 
to Fort Crawford, where, after landing the former, 
she passed on to St. Louis. When we remember the 
complimentary reception which Black Hawk met with 
all along our Atlantic border, hov/ strange it seems 
that when the name of his captor was naentioned as 
the hero of Okee-cho-bee, his countrymen asked, " who 
is this Colonel Taylor that has just been brevetted a 
Brigadier?" Even as it was afterwards asked con- 



ANOTHER PROMOTION. 33 

cerning the Hero of Rio Bravo, " who is this Brigadier 
Taylor who has so brilliantly earned the brevet of 
major-general?" One might now, without extrava- 
gance, venture to predict that the captor of Black 
Hawk is as well known as was that w^arrior himself; 
and that he would probably be received by the people 
in a progress throughout the country, with demonstra 
tions of affection and respect, at least equal to those 
which were showered upon the wily Sauk chief, the 
but too successful rival of the chivalrous, and loyal, 
but neglected Keokuk. 

By the death of Colonel Morgan, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Taylor received the appointment of Colonel of the first 
regiment of Infantry, then stationed on the Upper Mis- 
sissippi. He was employed there for several years as 
Indian Agent, in which capacity he won their confi- 
dence, and acquired great influence over them by the 
wisdom, prudence and tact with which he discharged 
his trust, and the unvarying kindness and good faith 
with which all his dealings and intercourse with them 
was marked. He was known among them as the "Big 
Chief/' 2* 



CHAPTER II. 

Commencement of the Florida War.— Severe Battle of Okee-cho-bee. — 
Charge of the Missouri Volunteers. — Brave conduct of the Regular 
Troops.— Colonel Taylor everywhere in the Fight. — Pov^er of the 
Indians broken. — Colonel Taylor Brevetted Brigadier General for his 
brave conduct. — Assigned the Command of the First Department of 
the Army. — Account of his movements at Fort Bassinger. — An amu- 
sing Anecdote. — General Taylor and the Missouri Legislature. — His 
Agency in the Employment of Bloodhounds in the Florida War. 

At the breaking out of the Florida or Seminole war, 
Colonel Taylor was at Fort Crawford, Prairie du 
Chien, built by him, where he had been stationed for 
four years. In 1886 he was ordered to Florida, though 
he was then on furlough. He cheerfully relinquished 
it, however, to obey the call of his country. He was 
placed in command of a separate column, composed 
of the First, Fourth, and Sixth infantry, some artil- 
lery, and the Missouri volunteers. But notwithstand- 
ing his efforts to meet the enemy, they successfully 
evaded him until the 25th of December, 1837, when 
he discovered his vicinity to Alligator, Sam Jones and 
Co-o-coo-chee, at the head of seven hundred Indians, 
all well armed, and most skilful marksmen. They had 
chosen their position with great judgment, in a dense 
hammock, perfectly concealed and strongly fortified, 
and were confident of victory. Their front a5id one 
flank were protected by a low swamp, almost impas- 
sable, and the other flank rested on lake Okee-cho-bee, 




I 



BATTLE OF OKEE-CIIO-BEE. 37 

by which it was securely protected. They had there- 
fore the advantage of position, if not of numbers on 
their side, Colonel Taylor's forces amounting to about 
one thousand men. As soon as he ascertained where 
they were posted, however, he determined to attack 
them without delay. No considerations of danger, of 
numbers, or advantage of position had any powei 
to deter him from attacking an enemy " wherever 
found, or in whatever numbers." On the contrary* 
the dangers to be encountered but nerved him the 
more firmly to meet them. 

The only approach to the enemy led through a 
swamp covered with saw-grass, in the mud of which 
his troops sunk knee deep. This pass, difficult as it 
v/as from this cause, was rendered tenfold more dan- 
gerous by being perfectly swept by the fire of the 
enemy. Colonel Taylor did not hesitate to make the 
attack. The engagement was brought on by the Mis- 
sissippi regiment in gallant style. They dashed through 
a most destructive and deadly fire poured in upon them 
from every thicket and concealment, and from the 
tree tops. This murderous fire was accompanied with 
the most infernal yells from the savage foe. The vol- 
unteers began to stagger under the shock, and were 
finally seized with a panic, and broke and fled in w^ild 
disorder. The officers of the Sixth Regiment of regu- 
Ip.rs promptly and boldly threw themselves in front of 
their troops, and led them gallantly to the charge. 
They were nobly seconded by the First Regiment, 
commxanded by Colonel Taylor himself in person, and 
by the Fourth, who assailed their right flank with ter- 
rible effect. The enemy could not long withstand the 
shock of these veterans. They were quickly thrown 
into disorder and driven in confusion from their strong 



38 VICTORY OF CKEE-CnO-BEE. 

position, after a contest of three hours. The conflict 
was one of the fiercest and most fatal of the whole 
war, and so dispirited and weakened the enemy that 
they were never after able to collect a sufficient force 
to resist openly the American arms. In the engage- 
ment the Americans lost one hundred and twenty- 
eight officers and men in killed and wounded. Amongst 
the former were the brave and accomplished Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Thompson, Captain Van Swearingen, Col- 
onel Gentry, of the Missouri volunteers, and Lieuten- 
ants Brooke and Carter. Lieutenant Walker, who 
went into the engagement with twenty men, had only 
three left — seventeen had been killed or wounded ! 

Colonel Taylor was everywhere to be found in the 
thickest of the fight, where the balls flew fastest, and 
the danger the greatest, encouraging and urging on his 
men. Nothing could resist his onsets. His coolness 
and presence of mind reanimated those whose power 
of endurance had begun to fail, and gave new ardor 
to others. His presence inspired all with confidence, 
and gave assurance of victory. Never was there a 
commander who possessed the power of infusing his 
own indomitable spirit into his troops in a more re- 
markable degree than Colonel Taylor. Vv'herever he 
is found all doubt of victory disappears, and his men 
fight with a perfect conviction of finally triumphing : 
such was the case at Okee-cho-bee, and such has been 
the case in all his engagements since. 

The description of the bloody and brilliant battle of 
Okee-cho-bee, and the incidents preceding and con- 
nected with it, have been designedly brief, with a view 
of introducing Colonel Taylor's own detailed report of 
the engagement. This is too minute and interesting, 
and paints too fqrcibly the terrific scene to be omitted. 



THE DETAILS. 39 

or to be supplied by any account drawn by those who 
did not witness and participate in it. The report of 
Colonel Taylor also contains a statement in detail of 
all his operations in the field, from the 19th of Decem- 
ber to the 4th of January. On the 4th of January, 
succeeding the battle, Colonel Taylor thus wrote to 
Brigadier General Jones : 

" On the 19th ultimo, I received at this place a com- 
munication from Major General Jesup, informing me 
that all hopes of bringing the war to a close by nego- 
tiation, through the interference or mediation of the 
Cherokee delegation, were at an end, Sam Jones, with 
the IMickasukies, having determined to fight it out to 
the last, and directing me to proceed with the least pos- 
sible delay against any portion of the enemy I might 
hear of within striking distance, and to destroy or cap- 
ture him. 

" After leaving two oflicers and an adequate force 
for the protection of my depot, I marched the next 
morning, with twelve days' rations (my means of trans- 
portation not enabling me to carry more,) with the bal- 
ance of my command, consisting of Captain Munroe's 
company of the Fourth artillery, total thirty-five men ; 
the First infantry, under the command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Foster, two hundred and seventy-four; the 
Sixth infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, 
two hundred and twenty-one ; the Missouri volunteers, 
one hundred and eighty ; Morgan's spies, forty-seven ; 
pioneers, thirty ; pontoneers, thirteen ; and seventy 
Delaware Indians, making a force, exclusive of officers, 
of one thousand and thirty-two men ; the greater part 
of the Shawnees having been detached, and the balance 
refusing to accompany me, under the pretext that a 



40 MEKTING WITH AN INDIAN CHIEF. 

number of them were sick, and the remainder were 
dthout moccasons. 

" I moved down the west side of the Kissimmee, in a 
south-easterly course, towards Lake Istopoga, for the 
ollowing reasons : 1st. Because I knew a portion of 
.he hostiles w^ere to be found in that direction ; 2nd. 
If General Jesup should fall in with the Mickasukies 
and drive them, they might attempt to elude him by 
crossing the Kissimmee, from the east to the west side 
of the peninsula, between this and its entrance into the 
Okee-cho-bee, in which case I might be near at hand 
to intercept them ; 3rd. To overawe and induce such 
of the enemy who had been making propositions to give 
themselves up, and who appeared very slow, if not to 
hesitate in complying with their promises on that head, 
to surrender at once ; and lastly, I deemed it advisable 
to erect block-houses and a small picket work on the 
Kissimmee, for a third depot, some thirty or forty miles 
below this, and obtain a knowledge of the intervening 
country, as I had no guide who could be relied on, and 
by this means open a communication with Colonel 
Smith, who was operating up the Caloosehatchee, or 
Sangbel river, under my orders. 

" Late in the evening of the first day's march, I met 
the Indian chief Jumper, with his family and a part of 
his band, consisting of fifteen men, a part of them with 
families, and a few negroes, in all sixty-three souls, on 
his way to give himself up, in conformity to a previous 
arrangement I had entered into with him. They were 
conducted by Captain Parks and a few Shaw^nees. He 
(Parks) is an active, intelligent half-breed, who is at the 
head of the friendly Indians, both Shawnees and Dela- 
wares, and who I had employed to arrange and bring 
in Jumper and as many of his people as he could pre- 



INDIAN TREACHERY. 41 

vail on to come in. We encamped that night near the 
same spot, and the next morning having ordered Cap- 
tain Parks to join me and take command of the Dela- 
wares, and having dispatched Jumper, in charge of 
some Shawnees, to this place, and so on to Fort Fra- 
zier, I continued my march, after having sent forward 
three friendly Seminoles to gain intelligence as to the 
position of the enemy. 

" About noon the same day, I sent forward one bat- 
talion of Gentry's regiment, under command of Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Price, to pick up any stragglers that 
might fall in his way, to encamp tw^o or three miles in 
advance of the main force, to act with great circum- 
spection, and to communicate promptly any occurrence 
that might take place in his vicinity important for me 
to know. About 10, p. m., I received a note from the 
colonel, stating that the three Seminoles sent forward 
in the morning had returned ; that they had been at or 
near where Alligator had encamped, twelve or fifteen 
miles in his advance ; that he (Alligator) had left there 
with a part of his family four days before, under the 
pretext of separating his relations, &c., from the Micka- 
sukies, preparatory to his surrendering with them ; that 
there were several families remaining at the camp re- 
ferred to, who wdshed to give themselves up, and would 
remain there until w^e took possession of them, unless 
they were forcibly carried off that night by the Micka- 
sukies, who were encamped at no great distance from 

them. 

" In consequence of this intelligence, after directmg 
Lieutenant-Colonel Davenport to follow me early in 
the morning with the infantry, a little after midnight 
I put myself at the head of the residue of the mounted 
men and joined Lieutenant-Colonel Price, proceeded 



43 A MAaCH BY NIGHT. 

on, crossing Istopoga outlet, and soon after daylight 
took possession of the encampment referred to, where 
I found the inmates, who had not been disturbed. They 
consisted of an old man, and two young ones, and sev- 
eral w^omen and children, amounting in all to twenty- 
two individuals. The old man informed me that Alli- 
gator was very anxious to separate his people from the 
Mickasukies, who were encamped on the opposite side 
of the Kissimmee, distant about twenty miles, w^here 
they w^ould fight us. I sent him to Alligator to say to 
him, if he were sincere in his professions, to meet me 
the next day at the Kissimmee, where the trail I was 
marching on crossed, and where I should halt. 

" As soon as the infantry came up I moved on to the 
place designated, which I reached late that evening, 
and where I encamped. About lip. m., the old In- 
dian returned, bringing a very equivocal message from 
Alligator, who, he stated, he had met accidentally; 
also, that the Mickasukies were still encamped where 
they had been for some days, and where they were de- 
termined to fight us. 

" I determined at once on indulging them as soon as 
practicable. Accordingly, next morning, after laying 
out a small stockade work for the protection of a future 
depot, in order to enable me to move with the greatest 
celerity, 1 deposited the whole of my heavy baggage, 
including artillery, &c., and having provisioned the 
command to include the 26th, after leaving Captain 
Munroe with his company, the pioneer, pontoneers, with 
eighty-five sick and disabled infantry, and a portion of 
the friendly Indians, who alleged that they were unable 
to march farther, crossed the Kissimmee, taking the old 
Indian as a guide who had been captured the day be- 
fore, and who accompanied us with great apparent re- 



ALLIG-ATOR 3 CAxMP. 43 

luctance, in pursuit of the enemy, and early the next 
day reached AUigator's encampment, situated on the 
edge of Cabbage-tree Hammock, in the midst of a large 
prairie, from the appearance of which, and other en- 
campments in the vicinity, and the many evidences of 
slaughtered cattle, there must have been several hun- 
dred individuals. 

" At another small hammock, at no great distance 
from Alligator's encampment, and surrounded by a 
swamp impassable for mounted men, the spies surprised 
an encampment containing one old man, four young 
men, and some women and children. One of the party 
immediately raised a white flag, when the men were 
taken possession of, and brought across the swamp to 
the main body. I proceeded with an interpreter to 
meet them. They proved to be Seminoles, and pro- 
fessed to be friendly. They stated that they were pre- 
paring to come in ; they had just slaughtered a number 
of cattle, and were employed in drying and jerking the 
same. They also informed me that the Mickasukies, 
headed by A-vi-a-ka, (Sam Jones,) were some ten or 
twelve miles distant, encamped in a swamp, and were 
prepared to fight. 

'' Although I placed but little confidence in their pro- 
fessions of friendship, or their intentions of coming in 
yet I had no time to look up their women and chil 
dren, w^ho had fled and concealed themselves in the 
swamp, or to have encumbered myself with them in 
the situation in which I then was. Accordingly, I 
released the old man, who promised that he would col- 
lect all the women and children and take them in to 
Captain Munroe, at the Kissimmee, the next day. I 
also dismissed the old man who had acted as guide thus 



44 DISPOSITIONS FCr^ BATTLE. 

far, supplying his place with the four able warri'ors who 
had been captured that morning. 

" These arrangements being made, I moved under 
their guidance for the camp of the Mickasukies. Be- 
tween two and three, p. m., we reached a very dense 
cypress swamp, through which we were compelled to 
-pass, and in vv^iich our guide informed us w^e might be 
attacked. After making the necessary dipositions for 
battle, it was ascertained that there was no enemy to 
oppose us. The army crossed over and encamped for 
the night, it being late. During the passage of the 
rear, Captain Parks, w4io was in advance w^ith a few 
friendly Indians, fell in with two of the enemies' spies, 
between two and three miles of our camp, one on 
horseback, the other on foot, and succeeded in captur- 
ing the latter. He was an active young warrior, armed 
with an excellent rifle, fifty balls in his pouch, and an 
adequate proportion of powder. This Indian confirmed 
the information which had been previously received 
from the other Indians, and, in addition, stated that a 
large body of Seminoles, headed by John Cohua, Co-a- 
coo-chee, and, no doubt, Alligator, with other chiefs, 
were encamped five or six miles from us, near the 
Mickasukies, with a cypress swamp and dense ham- 
mock between them and the latter. 

" The army moved forward at daylight the next 
morning, and after marching five or six miles, reached 
the camp of the Seminoles on the border of another 
cypress swamp, wdiich must have contained several 
hundred, and bore evident traces of having been aban- 
doned in a great hurry, as the fires were still burning, 
and quantities of beef lying on the ground uncon- 
sumed. 

" Here the troops were again diisposed in order of 



THE FINAL ARRANGEMENTS. 45 

battle, but we found no enemy to oppose us ; and the 
command was crossed over about 11a. m., when we 
entered a large prairie in our front, on which two or 
three hundred head of cattle were grazing, and a num- 
ber of Indian ponies. Here another young Indian 
warrior was captured, armed and equipped as the for- 
mer. He pointed out a dense hammock on our right, 
about a mile distant, in w^hich he said the hostiles were 
situated, and waiting to give us battle. 

"At this place the final disposition was made to 
attack them, which was in two lines, the volunteers 
under Gentry, and Morgan's spies, to form the first line 
in extended order, who were instructed to enter the 
hammock, and in the event of being attacked and hard 
pressed, were to fall back in rear of the regular troops, 
out of reach of the enemy's fire. The second was 
composed of the 4th and 6th infantry, who were in- 
structed to sustain the volunteers, the 1st infantry 
being held in reserve. 

" Moving on in the direction of the hammock, after 
proceeding about a quarter of a mile, w^e reached the 
swamp which separated us from the enemy, three-quar- 
ters of a mile in breadth, being totally impassable for 
horses, and nearly so for foot, covered with a thick 
growth of saw-grass, five feet high, and about knee« 
deep in mud and water, which extended to the left as 
far as the eye could reach, and to the right to a part of "^' 
the swamp and hammock we had just crossed through, 
ran a deep creek. At the edge of the swamp the men 
were dismounted, and the horses and baggage left 
under a suitable guard. Captain Allen was detached 
with the two companies of mounted infantry to exam- 
ine the swamp and hammock to the right, and in case 
h© should not find the enemy in that direction, was to 



46 THE ATTACK BEGUN. 

return to the baggage, and in the event of his hearing 
a heavy firing to join me immediately. 

"After making these arrangements, I crossed the 
swamp in the order stated. On reaching the borders 
of the hammock, the volunteers and spies received a 
heavy fire from the enemy, which was returned by 
them for a short time, when their gallant commander, 
Colonel Gentry, fell, mortally wounded. They mostly 
broke ; and instead of forming in rear of the regulars, 
as had been directed, they retired across the swamp to 
their baggage and horses ; nor could they again be 
brought into action as a body, although efforts were 
made repeatedly by my staff to induce them to do so. 

" The enemy, however, were promptly checked and 
driven back by the 4th and 6th infantry, which in truth 
might be said to be a moving battery. The weight of 
the enemy's fire was principally concentrated on five 
companies of the 6th infantry, which not only stood 
firm, but continued to advance until their gallant com- 
mander, Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, and his adju- 
tant, Lieutenant Center, were killed, and every officer, 
with one exception, as well as most of the non-commis- 
sioned officers, including the sergeant-major and four 
of the orderly sergeants, killed and wounded of those 
companies, when that portion of the regiment retired 
to a short distance and were again formed, one of these 
companies having but four members left untouched. 

" Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, with six companies, 
amounting in all to one hundred and sixty men, gained 
the hammock in good order, where he was joined by 
Captain Noel with the two remaining companies of the 
6th infantry, and Captain Gentry's volunteers, with a 
few additional men, continued to drive the enemy for 
a considerable time, and by a change of front, sepa- 



THE KILLED AND WOUNDED. 47 

rated his line and continued to drive him until he 
reached the great lake, Okee-cho-bee, which was in 
the rear of the enemy's position, and on which their 
encampment extended for more than a mile. As soon 
as I was informed that Captain Allen was advancing, I 
ordered the 1st infantry to move to the left, gain the 
enemy's right flank, and turn it, which order was exe- 
cuted in the promptest manner possible, and as soon 
as that regiment got in position, the enemy gave one 
fire and retreated, being persuaded by the 1st, 4th, and 
6th, and some of the volunteers who had joined them, 
until near night, and until these troops were nearly 
exhausted, and the enemy driven in all directions. 

" The action was a severe one, and continued from 
half-past twelve until three, p. m., a part of the time 
very close and severe. We suffered much, having 
twenty-six killed, and one hundred and twelve wounded, 
among whom are some of our most valuable officers. 
The hostiles probably suffered, all things considered, 
equally with ourselves, they having left ten dead on 
the ground, besides doubtless, carrying oft' more, as is 
customary with them when practicable. 

" As soon as the enemy were completely broken, I 
turned my attention to taking care of the wounded, to 
facilitate their removal to my baggage, where I ordered 
an encampment to be formed. I directed Captain 
Taylor to cross over to the spot and employ every in- 
dividual whom he might find there in constructing a 
small footway across the swamp ; this, with great ex- 
ertions, was completed in a short time after dark, when 
all the dead and wounded were carried over m litters 
made for the purpose, with one exception, a private of 
the 4th infantry, who was killed and could not be found 
" And here I trust I may be permitted to say that I 



48 REMOVING THE ^VOUNDEI). 

experienced one of the most trying scenes of my life, 
and he who could have looked on them with indiffer- 
ence, his nerves must have been differently organized 
from my ow^n. Besides the killed, there lay one hun- 
dred and tv^elve wounded officers and soldiers, who 
had accompanied me one hundred and forty-five miles, 
most of the way through an unexplored wilderness, 
without guides, who had so gallantly beaten the enemy, 
under my orders, in his strongest position, and who had 
to be conveyed back, through swamps and hammocks, 
from whence we set out, without any apparent means 
of doing so. This service, however, was encountered 
and overcome, and they have been conveyed thus far, 
and proceeded on to Tampa Bay on rude litters, con- 
structed with the axe and knife alone, with poles and 
dry hides — the latter being found in great abundance 
at the encampment of the hostiles. The litters were 
carried on the backs of our w^eak and tottering horses, 
aided by the residue of the command, with more ease 
and comfort to the sufferers than I could have supposed, 
and with as much as they could have been in ambu- 
lances of the most improved and modern construction. 

" The day after the battle we remained at our en- 
campment, occupied in taking care of the w^ounded, 
and in the sad office of interring the dead ; also in pre- 
paring litters for the removal of the wounded, and col- 
lecting, with a portion of the mounted men, the horses 
and cattle in the vicinity belonging to the enemy, of 
which w^e found about one hundred of the former, 
many of them saddled, and nearly three hundred of 
the latter. 

" We left our encampment on the morning of the 
27th, for the Kissimmee, where I had left my heavy bag- 
gage, which place we reached about noon on the 28th. 



LIEUTENANT-COLO :>:EL DAVENPORT. 49 

After leaving two companies and a few Indians to gar- 
rison the stockade, which I found nearly completed on 
my return, by that active and vigilant officer. Captain 
Munroe, 4th artillery, I left the next morning for this 
place, where I arrived on the 31st, and sent forward 
the wounded next day to Tampa Bay, with the 4th 
and 6th infantry, the former to halt at Fort Frazer, re- 
maining here myself with the ist, in order to make 
preparations to take the field again as soon as my horses 
can be recruited, most of which have been sent to 
Tampa, and my supplies in a sufficient state of for- 
wardness to justify the measure. 

" In speaking of the command, I can only say, that 
so far as the regular troops are concerned, no one 
could have been more efficiently sustained than I have 
been, from the comimencement of the campaign ; and 
I am certain that they will always be willing and ready 
to discharge any duty that may be assigned them. 

" To Lieutenant-Colonel Davenport, and the officers 
and soldiers of the First infantry, I feel under many 
obligations for the manner in which they have, on all 
occasions, discharged their duty ; and although held in 
reserve, and not brought into battle until near its close, 
the eagerness it evinced to engage, and the prompt- 
ness and good order vvith which they entered the ham- 
mock, when the order v/as ffiven for them to do so, is 
the best evidence that they would have sustained their 
own characters, as v/ell as that of the regiment, had it 
been their fortune to have been placed in the hottest 
of the battle. 

" The Fourth infantry, under their gallant leader, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, was among the ffi^st to gain 
the ix^mmock, and maintained this position, as well as 
driving n portion of the enemy before him, until he ai- 



50 GALLANTRY OF THE SIXTH. 

rived on the borders of Lake Okee-cho-bee, which was 
in the rear, and continued the pursuit until near night. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, who was favorably noticed 
for his gallantry and good conduct in nearly all the 
engagements on the Niagara frontier, during the late 
war with Great Britain, by his several commanders, as 
vvell as in the different engagements with the Indians 
in this territory, never acted a more conspicuous part 
than in the action of the 25th ult. ; he speaks in the 
highest terms of the conduct of brevet Major Graham, 
his second in command, as also the officers and soldiers 
of the Fourth infantry, who were engaged in the ac- 
tion. Captain Allen, with his tv»^o mounted companies 
of the Fourth infantry, sustained his usual character 
for promptness and efficiency. Lieutenant Hooper, of 
the Fourth regiment, was wounded through the arm, 
but continued on the field, at the head of his company, 
until the termination of the battle. 

"I am not sufficiently master of words to express 
my admiration of the gallantry and steadiness of the 
officers and soldiers of the Sixth regiment of infantry. 
It was their fortune to bear the brunt of the battle. 
The report of the killed and wounded, which accom- 
panies this, is more conclusive evidence of their merits 
than anything I can say. After five companies of this 
regiment, against which the enemy directed the most 
deadly fire, were nearly cut up, there being only four ; 
men left uninjured in one of them ; and every officer 
and orderly sergeant of those companies, with one ex- 
ception, w^ere either killed or wounded ; Captain Noel, 
with the remaining two companies, his own company, , 
'* K.," and Grossman's, " B.," commanded by second ( 
Lieutenant Woods, which was the left of the regiment, 
formed on the right of the Fourth infantry, entered 



MISSOURI VOLUNTEERS. 61 

the hammock \\ ith that regiment, and continued the 
fight and the pursuit until its termination. It is due 
to Captain Andrews and Lieutenant Walker, to say 
they commanded two of the five companies mentioned 
above, and they continued to direct them, until they 
were both severely wounded, and carried from the 
field ; the latter received three separate balls. 

" The Missouri volunteers, under the command of 
Colonel Gentry, and Morgan's spies, vvho formed the 
first line, and, of course, were the first engaged, acted 
as well, or even better, than troops of that description 
generally do ; they received and returned the enemy's 
fire with spirit, for some time, when they broke and 
retired, with the exception of Captain Gillam and a 
few of his company, and Lieutenant Blakey, also with 
a few men, who joined the regulars, and acted with 
them, until after the close of the battle, but not until 
they had suffered severely ; the commanding officer 
of the volunteers, Colonel Gentry, being mortally 
wounded while leading on his men, and encouraging 
them to enter the hammock, and come to close quar- 
ters with the enemy ; his son, an interesting youth, 
eighteen or nineteen years of age, sergeant-major of 
the regiment, was severely w^ounded at the same mo- 
ment. 

•' Captain Childs, Lieutenants Rogers and Flanagan, 
of Gentry's regiment, acting Major Sconce, and Lieu- 
tenants Hase and Gordon, of the spies, were wounded, 
while encouraging their men to a discharge of their 

duty. 

" The volunteers and spies having, as before stated, 

fallen back to the baggage, could not again be formed 

and brought up to the hammock in anything like order ; 

but a number of them crossed over individually, and 

3 



^ GENERAL TAYLOR S STAFF. 

aided in conveying the wounded across the swamp to 
the hammock, among whom were Captain Curd, and 
several other officers, whose names I do not now 
recollect. 

" To my personal staff, consisting of first Lieutenant 
J. M. Hill, of the Second, and first Lieutenant George 
H. Griffin, of the Sixth infantry, the latter aide-de-camp 
to Major General Gaines, and a volunteer in Florida 
from his staff, I feel under the gi^eatest obligations for 
the promptness and efficiency with which they have 
sustained me throughout the campaign, and more par- 
ticularly for their good conduct, and the alacrity with 
which they aided me, and conveyed my orders during 
the action of the 25th ult. 

"Captain Taylor, commissary of subsistence, who 
was ordered to join General Jesup at Tampa Bay, as 
chief of the subsistence department, and who was 
ordered by him to remain with his column until he 
(General Jesup) joined it, although no command was 
assigned Captain Taylor, he greatly exerted himself in 
trying to rally and bring back the volunteers into ac- 
tion, as well as discharging other important duties 
which were assigned to him during the action. 

" Myself, as well as all who witnessed the attention 
and ability displayed by Surgeon Satterlee, medical 
director on this side the peninsula, assisted by Assistant- 
surgeons McLaren and Simpson, of the medical staff 
of the army, and Doctors Hannah and Cooke, of the 
Missouri volunteers, in ministering to the wounded, as 
well as their uniform kindness to them on all occasions, 
can never cease to be referred to by me but with the 
most pleasing and grateful recollections. 

" The quartermaster's department, under the direc- 
tion of that efficient officer, Major Brant, and his as- 



FRUITS OF THE VICTORY. 53 

sistant, Lieutenant Babbitt, have done everything that 
could be accomplished to throw forward from Tampa 
Bay, and keep up supplies of provisions, forage, etc., 
with the limited means at their disposal. Assistant- 
commissaries Lieutenants Harrison, stationed at Fort 
Gardner, and McClure, at Fort Fraser, have fully met 
my expectations in discharge of the various duties 
connected with their department, as well as those 
assigned them in the quartermaster's department. 

" This column, in six weeks, penetrated one hun- 
dred and fifty miles into the enemy's country, opened 
roads, and constructed bridges and causeways, when 
necessary, on the greater portion of the route, estab- 
lished two depots, and the necessary defences for the 
same, and finally overtook and beat the enemy in his 
strongest position. The results of which movement 
and battle have been the capture of thirty of the hos- 
tiles, the coming in and surrendering of more than 
one hundred and fifty Indians and negroes, mostly the 
former, including the chiefs Ou-la-too-gee, Tus-ta-nug- 
gee, and other principal men, the capturing and driving 
out of the country six hundred head of cattle, upwards 
of one hundred head of horses, besides obtaining a 
thorough knowledge of the country through which we 
operated, a greater portion of which w^as entirely un- 
known, except to the enemy. 

" Colonel Gentry died in a few hours after the battle, 
much regretted by the army, and will be, doubtless, 
by all who knew him, as his state did not contain a 
braver man or a better citizen. 

" It is due to his rank and talents, as well as to his 
long and important services, that I particularly men- 
tion Lieutenant Colonel A. R. Thompson, of the Sixth 
infantry, who fell, in the discharge of his duty, at the 



54 DEATH OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL THOMPSON. 

head of his regiment. He was in feeble health, brought 
on by exposure to this climate during the past summer, 
refusing to leave the country while his regiment con- 
tinued in it. Although he received two balls from the 
fire of the enemy, early in the action, which wounded 
him severely, yet he appeared to disregard them, and 
continued to give his orders with the same coolness 
that he would have done had his regiment been under 
review^, or on any parade duty. Advancing, he re- 
ceived a third ball, which at once deprived him of 
life. His last words were, " keep steady, men, charge the 
hammock — remember the regiment to which you be- 
long." I had known Colonel Thompson personally only 
for a short time, and the more I knew of him the more 
I wished to know ; and had his life been spared, our 
acquaintance, no doubt, would have ripened into the 
closest friendship. Under such circumstances, there 
are few, if any, other than his bereaved wife, mother, 
and sisters, who more deeply and sincerely lament his 
loss, or who will longer cherish his memory than myself. 

" Captain Van Swearingen, Lieutenant Brooke, and 
Lieutenant and Adjutant Center, of the same regiment, 
who fell on that day, had no superiors of their years in 
service, and, in point of chivalry, ranked among the 
first in the army or nation ; besides their pure and dis- 
interested courage, they possessed other qualifications, 
which qualified them to fill the highest grades of their 
profession, which, no doubt, they would have attained 
and adorned, had their lives been spared. The two 
former served with me on another arduous and trying 
campaign, and on every occasion, whether in the camp, 
on the march, or on the field of battle, discharged their 
various duties to my entire satisfaction." 

The gallantry and good conduct of Colonel Taylor, 



GENERAL TAYLOR PROMOTED. 55 

in this hard fought and important battle, received the 
highest commendation of Mr. Poinsett, the Secretary 
of War, General Macomb, the commander-in-chief of 
the army, and the country at large. General Macomb 
issued a general order to the army, upon the occasion 
of his victory, in which he especially referred to his 
bravery in the following terms : " To Colonel Taylor 
and the officers, non-commissioned officers and troops 
of the regular army, the Secretary of War tenders the 
thanks of the President of the United States for the dis- 
cipline and bravery displayed by them on the occasion ; 
as, likewise, to the officers and volunteers of Missouri, 
who shared in the conflict, and who evinced so much 
zeal and gallantry in bringing on the action." He also 
received the brevet rank of Brigadier General, and was" 
given the chief command of the operations in Florida, 
in consideration of his valuable services, wiiich he re- 
tained until the year 1840, having continued four years 
in that harassing and dangerous service. 

Immediately succeeding this victory General Taylor 
took up his position at Fort Bassinger, in Florida. 
Here he remained for several months, harassing the 
enemy, by cutting off their small parties, capturing 
several of their principal chiefs, and taking their cattle 
and means of subsistence. On the 8th of February, 
1838, an officer of high standing in General Taylor's 
army, stationed at Fort Bassinger, gave the following 
account of their operations : 

" We (Colonel Taylor's army), have just returned 
from the everglades. These everglades are, at the 
northwest, termed wet prairies. They are large wet 
prairies, or grassy lakes, and of which the Indians know 
but little, and where they cannot live a month without 
great suffering. 



66 LETTER FROM HI3 CAMP. 

" We saw but few Indians, and they fled rapidly at 
our approach. We took about sixty horses, and ascer- 
tained that their cattle were exhausted. Colonel Tay- 
lor has taken about six hundred head. We found on 
our last excursion but few cattle tracks, and only two 
cows were taken. The Indians are suffering for food ; 
in all their camps we find they had subsisted on pal- 
metto roots and the cabbage tree, which are never 
eaten by them except when hard run. 

" One hundred and thirty Indians and Negroes have 
come in since the battle of Okee-cho-bee, and they say 
many more will come in soon, and that they are tired 
of the war, and destitute of provisions. 

" Florida is generally a poor, sandy country. The 
southern portion is nearly all prairie, wet and dry alter- 
nately. Not more than one tenth, at the utmost, of 
Florida is fit for cultivation, and I would not give one 
good township of land in Illinois or Michigan for every 
foot of land in East Florida. 

" The Indian prisoners now admit that they lost 
twenty in the fight with Colonel Taylor. They had a 
strong position, and fought well, but were terribly whip- 
ped, and have never returned near the ground since." 

An anecdote is told of the general while stationed at 
this fort that is as amusing as it is characteristic. He 
had a favorite horse which he called " Claybank," a 
very fine animal, and much attached to his master. 
But he did not much fancy the musty corn often fur- 
nished the troops. The general used to partake of 
the same fare as his soldiers, and so did Claybank, so 
far as the corn was concerned, and they were both 
equally dainty. The general was veiy fond of hominy, 
and musty corn made anything but a pleasant diet. 
He would subject himself to the suspicion of " picking," 



ANECDOTE OF GENERAL TAYLOR, 67 

to the prejudice of the soldiers, rather than eat it, when 
not compelled to. Finding that Claybank understood 
that business better than he did, he would quietly let 
him loose amongst the sacks of corn. After smelling 
very carefully, the sagacious animal would commence 
gnawing a hole in one that pleased him. The gene- 
ral would patiently watch the manoeuvre until he saw 
that Claybank had made a choice, then calling his ser- 
vants, he w^ould direct him to have Claybank stabled 
immediately, for fear he might do mischief; "but," he 
would say, " as the animal has eaten a hole in the bag, 
take out a quart or so of the corn and make a dish of 
hominy. The trick was played for some time, but at 
last it became known, that whenever Claybank gnawed 
into a sack, sweet corn was to be found there, and the 
incident became a standing joke during the war, and 
it was enjoyed by none more heartily than by the sub- 
ject of it himself 

After his resignation of this command, he was as- 
signed to that of the First Department of the army, in- 
cluding the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, 
Arkansas, &c., wdth his head-quarters at Fort Jessup, 
in the former State. There he remained in the quiet 
but vigilant attention to the duties devolving upon him, 
until his services should be required on a wider and 
more extended field- 
Before accompanying General Taylor to the new 
theatre, upon which he is to act so glorious a part, and 
where his brilliant deeds are to stand out so promi- 
nently before the world, it may not be inappropriate to 
refer to one or two circumstances in the history of his 
operations in Florida, that have been the subjects of 
some discussion before the public, and have produced 
a contrariety of opinions in the public mind. 



68 SOUGHT TO BE CENSURED. 

It will have been observed, that in his official account 
of the battle of Okee-cho-bee, General Taylor took oc- 
casion, as truth and the interests of the service required 
him to do, to refer to the conduct of the Missouri vol- 
unteers and spies in that engagement. He could do 
no less than to report to the War Department the sim- 
ple fact that these troops fell into disorder and finally- 
fled, after having gallantly attacked the enemy. This 
he did in as mild terms as he could well employ. But 
nevertheless, his report gave great offence to the people 
of Missouri, and General Taylor w^as unsparingly de- 
nounced for his injustice to the volunteers and spies of 
that State. Amongst other means of expressing their 
dissatisfaction, Mr. Atchinson, then a member of the 
State Legislature, and subsequently a member of the 
United States Senate, made a stringent report on the 
subject, and also introduced a string of resolutions of a 
very indignant character, which were appended to it. 
No definite action was ever had on either, however, 
and public opinion finally settled down into the belief 
that facts fully sustained General Taylor, and that if 
the Missouri volunteers did not evince the same un- 
yielding courage as veteran soldiers, there was much 
in the circumstances of the case to palliate their con- 
duct, especially as their first charge was made w^ith so 
much courage and effect. 

There is another circumstance in the history of the 
Florida war, with which General Taylor's name has 
been associated, that requires a brief reference, and 
that is the employment of bloodhounds to lead to the 
hiding places of the Indians. No event of the whole 
war was so severely criticized and condemned as this 
act of the administration. It w^as natural in times of 
high political excitement, when only the simple fact 



EMPLOYMENT OF BLOODHOU\D3. 69 

was known to the country, without any of the reasons 
that led to a measure that seemed so repulsive to hu- 
manity, or the particular object for which they were 
employed, that it should have been so. The measure 
is one that even now, after the passions of men have 
become calmed, cannot be approved, though there is 
much to palliate it, and much more to free General 
Taylor from any charge of inhumanity in advising the 
employment of these savage agents. 

The war had been waged for several years against 
an invisible enemy, at an expense of many millions of 
money, and a vast sacrifice of life. Our soldiers were 
attacked and our best troops shot down at noonday, 
by a foe that defied all search. After discharging a 
deadly volley at our soldiers, they would betake them- 
selves to impenetrable thickets, and there lay securely 
concealed until another opportunity presented of poun- 
cing down upon small parties of troops, and again flee 
to their hiding places. It was to find these hidden 
enemies that General Taylor recommended to the de- 
partment the employment of bloodhounds. He says, 
in a letter to the Adjutant General of the army, dated 
July 28, 1838: "I wish it distinctly understood, that 
my object in employing dogs, is to ascertain where 
the Indians can be found, not to injure them." If any- 
thing were wanted to exempt General Taylor from an 
implication of cruelty for his agency in the affair, this 
explicit avowal of his motives will be sufficient. But 
he has on too many occasions, both before and since, 
given such evidence of his humane inclinations, that 
however mistaken any one may be disposed to consider 
him, no one will do himself and a brave man the injus- 
tice to deny him that noble virtue in an eminent degree. 



3* 



CHAPTER III. 

Admission of Texas into the Union. — Indirect Cause of the Mexican 
War. — War Recognized by the American Congress, — Prominent part 
General Taylor has acted since its Commencement. — Orders of the 
War Department to him.— Texas accepts the conditions of Annexa- 
tion offered by the United States.— Ultimate Views of Government. — 
General Taylor arrives at Corpus Christi. — Extracts of the Official 
Correspondence betwreen him and the Secretary of War. — Intentions 
of the American Government. 

On the first day of March, 1845, Texas was admitted 
into the Union, by a joint resolution of the Congress 
of the United States. Though this act was not the 
immediate cause of the rupture between the United 
States and Mexico, it led to the adoption of measures 
which brought the armies of the two governments into 
collision, and terminated in a declaration of the exist- 
ence of war by the American government. But whether 
the war was declared formally or not, according to the 
laws of nations, having virtually been commenced, it 
was recognized and adopted, and the American people, 
with a unanimity not shown even in the last war with 
Great Britain, and notwithstanding there was a differ- 
ence of opinion as to the necessity and justice of it, 
everywhere evinced their willingness to assist the gov-- 
ernment to prosecute it with vigor, or end it with 
honor. 

Amongst those whose names are more intimately 
connected with the prosecution of this war than that 



PRIVATE INSTRUCTIONS. 61 

of any other of the brave men who have added such 
lustre to the American arms during its continuance, by 
their gallant deeds, is that of General Zachary Taylor. 

Soon after the annexation of Texas, General Taylor, 
vi^ho was then stationed at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, 
received the following communication, from Mr. Marcy 
Secretary of War, marked " confidential," and dated 
"War Department, May 28, 1845:" 

" Sir : — I am directed by the President to cause the 
forces now under your command, and those which may 
be assigned to it, to be put into a position where they 
may most promptly and efficiently act in defence of 
Texas, in the event it shall become necessary or proper 
to employ them for that purpose. The information re- 
ceived by the Executive of the United States warrants 
the belief that Texas will shortly accede to the terms 
of annexation. As soon as the Texas Congress shall 
have given its consent to annexation, and a convention 
shall assemble and accept the terms offered in the reso- 
lutions of Congress, Texas will then be regarded by the 
executive government here, so far a part of the United 
States as to be entitled from this government to defence 
and protection from foreign invasion and Indian incur- 
sions- The troops under your command will be placed 
and kept in readiness to perform this duty. 

" In the letter addressed to you from the Adjutant 
GeneraFs office, of the 21st of March, you were in- 
structed to hold a portion of the troops under your im- 
mediate command in readiness to move into Texas 
under certain contingencies, and upon further orders 
from this department. In the treaty between the 
United States and Mexico, the two governments mu- 
tually stipulated to use all the means in their power to 
maintain peace and harmony among the Indian nations 



^«J VIEWS OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

inhabiting the lands on their borders, and to restrain 
by force any hostiUties and incursions by these nations 
within their respective boundaries, so that the one would 
not suffer the Indians within its limits to attack, in any 
manner whatever, the citizens of the other, or the In- 
dians residing jipon the territories of the other. The 
obligations which in this respect are due to Mexico by 
this treaty, are due also to Texas. Should the Indians 
residing within the limits of the United States, either by 
themselves, or associated with others, attempt any hos- 
tile movements in regard to Texas, it will be your duty 
to employ the troops under your command to repel and 
chastise them, and for this purpose you will give the 
necessary instructions to the military posts on the up- 
per Red river, (although not under your immediate 
command,) and, with the approbation of the Texan 
authorities, make such movements, and take such po- 
sition, within the limits of Texas, as in your judgment 
may be necessary. You are also directed to open im- 
mediate correspondence with the authorities of Texas, 
and with any diplomatic agent of the United States, 
(if one should be residing therein,) v/ith a view to in- 
formation and advice in respect to the common Indian 
enemy, as well as to any foreign power. This commu- 
nication and consultation with the Texan authorities, 
&c., are directed with a view to enable you to avail 
yourself of the superior local knowledge they may pos- 
sess, but not for the purpose of placing you, or any por- 
tion of the forces of the United States, under the orders 
of any functionary not in the regular line of command 
above you. 

" Should the territories of Texas be invaded by a for- 
eign power, and you shall receive certain intelligence 
through her functionaries of that fact, after her con- 



TAYLOR TO REPEL INVASION. 



63 



vention shall have acceded to the terms of annexation 
contained in the resolutions of the Congress of the 
United States, you will at once employ, in the most 
effectual manner your judgment may dictate, the forces 
under your command, for the defence of these territo- 
ries and to expel the invaders. 

" It is supposed here that, for the mere purpose of 
repelling a common Indian enemy, as above provided 
for, it may not be necessary that you should march 
across the Sabine or upper Red river (at least in the 
first instance) with more than the particular troops 
which you were desired in the instructions before re- 
ferred \o, of the 21st March, to hold in immediate 
readiness for the field, but it is not intended to restrict 
you positively to that particular amount of force. On 
the contrary, according to the emergency, you may 
add any other corps, or any number of companies 
within your department deemed necessary, beginning 
with those nearest at hand ; and in the contingency of a 
foreign invasion of Texas, as above specified, other regi- 
ments from a distance may be ordered to report to you." 
This order was succeeded by another, also confiden- 
tial, from the Hon. George Bancroft, Acting Secretary 
of War, and dated June 15th, 1845. After advisnig 
General Taylor, that on the 4th of July, or very soon 
thereafter, the convention of the people of Texas would 
probably accept the proposition of annexation, and that 
such acceptance would constitute Texas an integral 
portion of the Union, he ordered him forthwith to make 
a forward movement with the troops under his com- 
mand, and advance to the mouth of the Sabine, or such 
other port on the Gulf of Mexico, or its navigable wa- 
ters as in his opinion might be most convenient for an 
embarkation at the proper time, for the western portion 



0l| TEXAS ASSENTS TO ANNEXATION. 

of Texas. The point of his ultimate destination, he 
was informed in this order, was the western frontier of 
Texas, and he was instructed to select and occupy, on 
or near the Rio Grande, such a site as would consist 
with the health of the troops, and be the best point to 
repel invasion, and to protect what, in case of annexa- 
tion, would be our western border. He was further 
instructed to hmit himself to the defence of the territory 
of Texas, unless Mexico should declare war against the 
United States, and not to effect a landing on the fron- 
tier, until he had ascertained the acceptance of the 
proffered terms of annexation by Texas, from our min- 
ister to that government. 

Not long after, the anticipated information of the 
acceptance of the conditions offered to Texas by the 
United States was received by General Taylor, and 
on the following day he left New Orleans, with a por- 
tion of his troops, and on the 25th of July arrived at 
St. Joseph's Island. In the early part of August, he 
took up his position at Corpus Christi, on the west side 
of the Neuces, and near its mouth, where he remained 
until the 11th day of March, 1846. Whilst in this 
position, he sent forward to the Rio Grande a party of 
observation, with the view of selecting some favorable 
position as a depot of military stores, and a proper po- 
sition for the encampment of the army. Some time in 
February, 1846, this party returned, and reported in 
favor of Point Isabel, a few miles from the mouth of 
the Rio Grande, as a depot of provisions and military 
stores, and in favor of the position where Fort Brown 
was subsequently built, as a suitable position to be occu- 
pied by the army. 

It may be necessary here to give such portions of 
the correspondence between the War Department and 



Taylor's instructions. 65 

General Taylor, while the latter was at Corpus Christi, 
as will explain the immediate and ultimate views and 
intentions of the government towards Mexico, the po- 
sition of Taylor, and the agency he had, if any, in 
hastening the war. For this purpose, the part of that 
correspondence that throws the most light upon these 
subjects, is annexed. It will be observed from it, and 
the order of the Secretary of War already given, that 
General Taylor acted under positive and specific in- 
structions in all his movements, when such instructions 
could, in the nature of the case, be given. In these 
orders, and the dispatches of Taylor, will be found all 
the information required, to lead to a correct under- 
standing of the immediate steps on the part of the 
two governments which led to the collision between 
their respective armies, that ended in the existing war. 
On the 23rd of August, 1845, Mr. Secretary Marcy 
addressed to General Taylor the following order : 

" The information hitherto received as to the inten- 
tions of Mexico, and the measures she may adopt, does 
not enable the administration here to give you more 
explicit instructions in regard to your movements, than 
those which have been already forwarded to you. 
There is reason to believe that Mexico is making ef- 
forts to assemble a large army on the frontier of Texas, 
for the purpose of entering its territory and holding 
forcible possession of it. Of their movements you are 
doubtless advised, and we trust have taken, or early 
will take, prompt and efficient steps to meet and repel 
any such hostile incureion. Should Mexico assemble 
a large body of troops on the Rio Grande, and cross it 
with a considerable force, such a movement must be 
regarded as an invasion of the United States, and the 
commencement of hostilities. You will, of course, use 



66 TROOrS ORDERED INTO TEXA3. 

all the authority which has been or may be given you, 
to meet such a state of things. Texas must be pro- 
tected from hostile invasion, and for that purpose you 
will of course employ, to the utmost extent, all the 
means you possess or can command. 

" An order has been this day issued for sending one 
thousand more men into Texas, to join those under 
your command. When the existing orders are carried 
into effect, you will have with you a force of four 
thousand men of the regular army. We are not en- 
abled to judge what auxiliary force can, upon an emer- 
gency, be brought together from Texas ; and as a pre- 
cautionary measure, you are authorized to accept 
volunteers from the States of Louisiana and Alabama, 
and even from Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. 
Should Mexico declare w^ar, or commence hostilities 
by crossing the Rio Grande with a considerable force, 
you are mstructed to lose no time in giving informa- 
tion to the authorities of each or any of the above- 
mentioned states, as to the number of volunteers you 
may want from them respectively. Should you re- 
quire troops from any of these states, it would be im- 
portant to have them with the least possible delay. 
It is not doubted that at least tw^o regiments from New 
Orleans, and one from Mobile, could be obtained and 
expeditiously brought into the field. You will cause it 
to be known in these places, what number and de- 
scription of troops you desire to receive from them in 
the contemplated emergency. The authorities of these 
states will be apprised that you are authorized to re- 
ceive volunteers from them, and you may calculate 
that they will promptly join you when it is made known 
that their services are required. Arms, ammunition, 
and camp equipage for the auxiliary troops that you 



A NAVAL FORCE TO CO-OPERATE. 67 

may require, will be sent forward, subject to your or- 
ders. You will so dispose of them as to be most avail- 
able in case they should be needed, and at the same 
time with a due regard to their safety and preserva- 
tion. Orders have been issued to the naval force on 
the Gulf of Mexico to co-operate with you. You will, 
as far as practicable, hold communication with the 
commanders of our national vessels in your vicinity, 
and avail yourself of any assistance that can be de- 
rived from their co-operation. The Lexington is or- 
dered into service as a transport ship, and will sail in 
a few days from New York, wdth a detachment of 
United States troops for Corpus Christi. She will be 
employed as the exigency of the public service may 
require. In order to keep up a proper communication 
between the army in Texas and the United States, the 
On-ka-hy-e, the Harney, and the Dolphin will be put 
into service as soon as they can be made ready, as dis- 
patch vessels, to convey intelligence, supplies, &c. You 
will avail yourself of these vessels, and all other proper 
means, to keep the government here advised of your 
operations, and the state of things in Texas and Mexico." 
Two days after, on the 25th of August, the Secre- 
tary of War addressed a circular letter to the Govern- 
ors of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and on the 
28th, a similar letter to the Governors of Kentuckjr 
and Tennessee, advising them that General Taylor had 
been appointed to the command of the army of occu- 
pation in Texas, and that he was authorized to draw 
any auxiliary force he might need from that state. 
He advises them that General Taylor has been author- 
ized to call on them for any additional volunteers he 
might consider necessary to repel the invasion of Texaj^ 
by Mexico, should it be attempted. He also observes, 



68 VOLUNTEERS FROM OTHER STATES. 

*' that the emergency rendering such assistance from 
the mihtia of your state necessary, does not appear to 
have been foreseen by Congress, and consequently, no 
appropriation was made for paying them ; but it is not 
to be doubted that such a provision will be promptly 
made when Congress shall again assemble. In order 
to be paid, the state troops must be mustered into ser- 
vice. In organizing companies and regiments for that 
purpose, the number of officers must be proportioned 
to that of the privates. Inclosed I send you from the 
Adjutant-General, a statement of the number and rank 
of officers for each company of men, as well as the 
regimental and staff officers, should a regiment of vol- 
unteers be called for. From the known patriotism and 
military ardor of the militia of your state, it is pre- 
sumed that volunteers, to the number that may be re- 
quired, will readily tender their services to their coun- 
try in the contemplated emergency. Should aid from 
your state be required by the commanding general in 
Texas, it will be of the utmost importance that the 
troops should be sent into that state without delay. 
This consideration will render it proper that they 
should come from such parts of the state as can most 
promptly furnish them." 

On the 30th of August Mr. Marcy wrote to General 
Taylor, to urge upon him the importance of availing 
himself of every opportunity of communicating with 
the War Department, as it was desirable to have early 
and correct information from him, so as to enable the 
government to form a true judgment of the designs 
and movements of Mexico, founded upon ascertained 
facts. He then continues : " It is presumed that, in 
pursuance of previous instructions from this depart- 
ment, you have taken special pains to become ac- 



WHAT ACTS CONSIDERED AGGRESSIVE. 69 

quainted with the proceedings of Mexico, particularly 
in regard to the number and kind of Mexican troops 
at Matamoras, Monterey, and other places, as well as 
those which are on the march towards them, and may 
be brought to act against your forces, or pushed across 
the Rio Grande, either in the vicinity of Matamoras 
or at distant points on that river. You will not, I trust, 
underrate the importance of such information, or fail 
to use the proper and necessary means for acquiring 
it. You are directed, should you deem it expedient, to 
employ competent and trustworthy persons to obtain 
such intelligence. 

" The instructions heretofore issued, enjoin upon you 
to defend Texas from invasion and Indian hostilities ; 
and should Mexico invade it, you will employ all your 
forces to repulse the invaders, and drive all Mexican 
troops beyond the Rio Grande. Should you judge the 
forces under your command inadequate, you will not 
fail to draw sufficient auxiliary aid from Texas, and, 
if there be need, from the states, pursuant to your pre- 
vious instructions. It is not to be doubted, that on 
your notification, volunteer troops, to the number you 
may require, will rally with alacrity to your standard. 
You have been advised that the assembling a large 
Mexican army on the borders of Texas, and crossing 
the Rio Grande with a considerable force, will be re . 
garded by the Executive here as an invasion of thei 
United States, and the commencement of hostilities. 
An attempt to cross that river with such a force, will 
also be considered in the same light. There may be 
other acts on the part of Mexico which would put an 
end to the relations of peace between that republic and 
the United States. Should depredations be committed 
on our commerce by her public armed vessels, or pri- 



70 HOW TO ACT IN CASE OF WAR. 

vateers acting under authority, this wdll constitute a 
state of war. 

"Orders have been issued to the vessels of the 
United States in the Gulf, to furnish you with informa- 
tion of any hostile proceedings of Mexico, and the 
state of things in that republic. You will embrace 
every occasion that may present, to forward to the 
commanders of these vessels such intelligence as you 
may possess concerning the movements of the military 
forces and the state of things in Mexico and Texas, 
and to suggest to them such assistance and co-opera- 
tion as you may desire to receive. 

" In case of war, either declared or made manifest 
by hostile acts, your main object will be the protection 
of Texas ; but the pursuit of this object wdll not neces- 
sarily confine your action within the territory of Texas. 
Mexico having thus commenced hostilities, you may, 
in your discretion, should you have sufficient force, and 
be in a condition to do so, cross the Rio Grande, dis- 
perse or capture the forces assembling to invade Texas, 
defeat the junction of troops uniting for that purpose, 
drive them from their positions on either side of that 
river, and, if deemed practicable and expedient, take 
and hold possession of Matamoras and other places in 
the country. I scarcely need to say that enterprises 
of this kind are only to be ventured on under circum- 
stances presenting a fair prospect of success." 

Again, on the 16th of October, 1845, the Secretary 
of War informed General Taylor that no apprehension 
was felt at Washington, that any serious attempts 
would be made by Mexico to invade Texas, although 
she still continued to threaten it, and that in carrying 
out the instructions of government he would be left 
very much to his own judgment, as his superior knowl- 



WHAT POSITION TO BE OCCUFIED. 71 

edge of localities, and his advantages for obtaining 
earlier notice of the views of Mexico, and the move- 
ments of her troops, w^ould enable him to judge much 
more correctly what action on his part might be ne- 
cessary. He was advised that he would, in a great 
measure, be left to act, during the coming winter, as 
circumstances might seem in his judgment to require, 
and instructed to approach as near the western boun- 
dary of Texas, (" the Rio Grande,") as a due regard 
for his safety and the comfort of his army would permit. 
Having given such suggestions as he considered ad- 
visable as to the movements of the army, the secretary 
proceeds : " Ought your present position to be changed ? 
the forces which are, or soon wdll be, assembled under 
your command, be kept together or divided ? and, if 
divided, what positions are to be taken, and how are 
they to be divided ? These are questions which must 
be in a measure left to your judgment, or, at least, the 
decision upon them here, if there be time, will be influ- 
enced in no inconsiderable degree by the information 
and views which you may furnish the department. 
You need not, therefore, wait for directions from Wash- 
ington, to carry out what you may deem proper to be 
done. Upon all the points above enumerated, and 
others not suggested, your reports and views in full are 
desired, not only with reference to the continuance of 
the present aspect of affairs between the United States 
and Mexico, but in the contingency of your selecting, 
or being directed to take, a position on the banks of the 
Rio Grande near its mouth, or places above, or even in 
the event of open hostilities. It is expected that the 
officers of the Engineer and Topographical Corps, who 
have been sent into Texas, will examine, as far as 
practicable, under your direction, the country, with a 



72 TAYLOR ORDERED TO THE RIO GRANDE. 

view to selecting eligible positions for permanent or 
temporary occupation, for depots of supplies, arms, and 
munitions of war. It is extremely desirable that the 
sea-coast, or at least that part of it which will be likely 
to be visited by our vessels in aid of any contemplated 
military operations, should be better known here than 
it now is ; as well as the character of the several rivers 
which may present obstacles to the movements of our 
forces, or furnish facilities for transporting supplies. 
You are requested to avail yourself of all proper occa- 
sions, and employ the means you possess to collect in- 
formation in regard to matters, and forward it to this 
department." 

The next communication from the Secretary of War 
to General Taylor is an explicit and peremptory order 
to march to the Rio Grande, and take such a position 
there as he might deem advisable, the season, the route 
by which his encampment could be approached, and 
the security of the army being considered. Mr. Marcy 
writes : " I am directed by the President to instruct 
you to advance and occupy, with the troops under 
your command, positions on or near the east bank of 
the Rio del Norte, as soon as it can be conveniently 
done with reference to the season and the routes by 
which your movements must be made. From the 
views heretofore presented to this department, it is pre- 
sumed Point Isabel will be considered by you an eligi- 
ble position. This point, or some one near it, and 
points opposite Matamoras and Mier, and in the Vicin- 
ity of Laredo, are suggested for your consideration ; 
but you are left to your better knowledge to determine 
the post or posts which you are to occupy, as well as 
the question of dividing your forces with a view to oc- 
cupying two or more positions. 



TO ACT ON THE DEFENSIVE. 73 

" In the positions you may take in carrying out these 
instructions, and other movements that may be made, 
the use of the Rio del Norte may be very convenient, 
if not necessary. Should you attempt to exercise the 
right which the United States have, in common with 
Mexico, to the free navigation of this river, it is proba- 
ble that Mexico Avould interpose resistance. You will 
not attempt to enforce this right without further in- 
structions. 

" You are requested to report to this department, 
without delay, what means you may require, if any, 
beyond those you now possess, to enforce and main- 
tain our common right to navigate this river, as well as 
your views of the importance of this right in the de- 
fence and protection of the state of Texas. 

" It is not designed, in our present relations with 
Mexico, that you should treat her as an enemy ; but, 
should she assume that character by a declaration of 
war, or an open act of hostility towards us, you w411 
not act merely on the defensive, if your relative means 
enable you to do otherwise. 

" Since instructions w^ere given you to drav/ aid from 
Texas, in case you should deem it necessary, the rela- 
tions between that state and the United States have 
undergone some modification. Texas is now fully in- 
corporated into our union of states, and you are here- 
by authorized by the President to make a requisition 
upon the executive of that state for such of its miUtia 
force as may be needed to repel invasion, or to secure 
the country against apprehended invasion." 

These extracts from the instructions and orders of 
the Secretary of War to General Taylor, in regard to 
his movements in Texas, and his operations there, will 
render sufficiently intelligible the objects and wishes of 



74 Taylor's dispatches. 

the American government in regard to Mexico, and 
what was expected of the commanding General. The 
dispatches of General Taylor to his government during 
the same period, are necessary, however, to place be- 
fore the reader the whole question in all its bearings, 
to show the condition and number of the army, with 
which the first great achievements of this Vv^ar were 
accomplished, and to help to illustrate the character 
of the extraordinary man whose name has been so 
closely identified with almost every incident of it. 
Besides the official dispatches of Taylor that are an- 
nexed, there w^ili be found a communication to him 
from the Prefect of Tamaulipas, and also one from 
General Ampudia, Commander-in-chief of the Mexican 
army on the Texan frontier, as well as General Tay- 
lor's reply to it : 

" New Orleans, La., July 20, 1845. 
Sir : — I respectfully acknowledge your communica- 
tion of July 8th, covering the instructions of the Secre- 
tary of War of the same date, relative to the Mexican 
settlements on this side of the Rio Grande. Those 
instructions will be closely obeyed ; and the depart- 
ment may rest assured that I will take no step to inter- 
rupt the friendly relations between the United States 
and Mexico. I am gratified at receiving these instruc- 
tions, as they confirm my views, previously communi- 
cated, in regard to the proper line to be occupied at 
present by our troops. 

I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D.C. 



AT ST. Joseph's island. 75 



HEACaUARTfiRS, ArMY OF OCCUPATION, 

Steamship Alabama, Aransas Pass, 
Texas, July 28, '"■ 



'ATION, ) 

Pass, V 
i, 1845. ) 



Sir : — I respectfully report my arrival at this place 
on the 25th instant, with eight companies of the Third 
infantry, it having been found necessary to leave two 
companies of that regiment to be brought over in other 
transports. 

The troops are temporarily established on St. 
Joseph's Island. I am waiting the report of a boat 
expedition sent to Corpus Christi Bay, before 1 deter- 
mine on the site of an encampment. I hope to receive 
the necessary information in the course of the day, 
when I shall immediately commence the removal of 
the Third infantry to the point selected. The position 
will probably be " Live Oak Point," in Aransas Bay, 
some ten miles from our present position. I am veiy 
anxious to establish myself at the mouth of the Nueces, 
but the extreme shoalness of the water will, I fear, pre- 
sent an insuperable obsta,cle, unless we can procure 
lighters of much lighter draught than those we have at 
present. 

The difficulties of effecting a debarkation on this 
coast, and of establishing depots for supplying the 
army, are much greater than I anticipated, and will 
render our operations at once embarrassing and expen- 
sive. Between Pass Cavello and Brazos Santiago 
there is no entrance for vessels drawing more than 
seven or eight feet ; and the prevailing winds render 
the operation of lightening extremely uncertain and 
hazardous. We have been favored with fine weather, 
and, should it continue, the other transports, which 
may now be expected, will be enabled to discharge 
without difficulty. 



76 HEALTH OF THE ARMY. 

We had a very favorable run from New Orleans and 
I am happy to state that the health of the command 
vi^as greatly improved by the voyage. The eight com- 
panies have scarcely any sickness at this time. 

The day before leaving New Orleans, I received 
from Major Donelson, a communication dated at Austin, 
on the 7th of July, informing me that the convention 
had unanimously accepted the proposition of annexa- 
tion, and suggested that two companies should be posted 
at Austin. I still deem it best to concentrate my force 
until our relations wdth Mexico shall become settled, 
and until the country can be examined, and the best 
mode of supply ascertained. 

I hear nothing important from the Mexican frontier. 
Some Indian depredations are committed from time to 
time near Corpus Christi, and will claim my first atten- 
tion after I can get established. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR. 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D. C. 



" HEADaUARTERS, ArMY OF OCCUPATION, ) 

Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug. 15, 1845. \ 

Sir : — I have the honor to report that, by New 
Orleans papers of the 7th inst, I have received intelli- 
gence of the preparatory steps taken by Mexico to- 
wards a declaration of war against the United States. 
I shall spare no exertions to meet suitably this proba- 
ble change in the relations between the two countries ; 
and the additional force ordered to join me, as an- 
nounced in your communication of July 30th, will, I 
trust, enable me to do something more than maintain 



AT CORPUS CHRISTI. 77 

a merely defensive attitude on the Nueces. This will 
depend upon the demonstrations made by Mexico along 
the Rio Grande, in regard to which the Secretary of 
War has solicited a report. I am enabled to say, upon 
information which is regarded as authentic, that 
General Arista was to leave Monterey on the 4th of 
this month for Matamoras, with one thousand five hun- 
dred men — five hundred being cavalry. I learn, from 
the same source, that there are five hundred regular 
troops at Matamoras. In regard to the force at other 
points on the Rio Grande, except the militia of the 
country, I have no information ; nor do I hear that the 
reported concentration at Matamoras is for any pur- 
pose of invasion. I have but just arrived at this place, 
and hope in a few days to be able to obtain more full 
and precise intelligence concerning the movements of 
the Mexicans. I shall not fail to communicate promptly 
to the department all such intelligence upon which I 
think reliance can be placed. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant Gene ral of the Army, 

Washington, D. C. 



" HEADaUARTERS, ArMY OF OCCUPATION, ) 

Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug 30, 1845. ] 

Sir : — I respectfully report the arrival at this post 
of seven companies of the 7th infantry, under Major 
Brown, and two companies of volunteer artillery under 
Major Gaily. Major Seawell's company, I am in- 
formed, was ordered back to Baton Rouge by General 
Gaines, and some small detachments of that regiment 
were also left at several posts. I have retained one 



78 CHARACTER OF HI3 TROOPS. 

company as a guard for the depot at St. Joseph's 
Island. 

The battahon of volunteer artillery has a fine battery 
of eight pieces — two twelves and six sixes, completely 
equipped in every respect. The officers are zealous, 
and the men seem to be quite well instructed in their 
duties. In case of need, I look for some valuable ser- 
vices from this battalion. 

I have just received a communication from President 
Jones, under date of the 23rd inst., notifying me that 
he had taken preparatory steps towards organizing a 
volunteer force of one thousand men to assist me if 
necessary. This matter will form the subject of a 
special communication to your office in a few days. 

Apprehending that the erroneous impressions current 
in New Orleans in regard to our situation, might induce 
General Gaines to order the muster of a battalion or 
brigade of infantry, I addressed a communication to 
his staff officer by the steamship Alabama, expressing 
my thanks for the reinforcement of the volunteer bat- 
talion of artillery, but with the hope that no more vol- 
unteers would be sent without a requisition from me. 
That communication will reach New Orleans to-night 
or to-morrow, in time, I trust, to stop the employment 
of any more volunteers. 

We have no news from the Rio Grande. Idle sto- 
ries are brought in from that quarter, but with the 
means of accurate information w^hich we now possess, 
I do not deem it necessary to repeat them. 
I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washinjrton, D. C. 



OCCUPATION OF POINT ISABEL. 79 

HEAOaUARTERS, ArMY OP OCCUPATION, ) 

Corpus Christi, Texas, Oct. 4 1845. J 
Sir : — I beg leave to suggest some considerations in 
relation to the present position of our force, and the 
dispositions which may become necessary for the more 
effectual prosecution of the objects for which it has 
been concentrated. It will be recollected that the in- 
structions of June 15th, issued by Mr. Bancroft, then 
Acting Secretary of War, directed me to " select and 
occupy, on or near the Rio Grande, such a site as will 
consist with the health of the troops, and will be best 
adapted to repel invasion," &c. Brazos Santiago is 
the nearest entrance to the mouth of the Rio Grande ; 
and Point Isabel, within that entrance, and twenty-one 
miles from Matamoras, would have fulfilled more com- 
pletely than any other position the conditions imposed 
by the Secretary. But vve had no artillery, no engi- 
neer force or appliances, and but a moderate amount 
of infantry ; and the occupation of Point Isabel, under 
these circumstances, and with at least the possibility 
of resistance from the Mexicans, might have compro- 
mised the safety of the command. I therefore deter- 
mined to take up the next accessible position in the 
rear, which is the mouth of the Nueces river. All the 
information which I could obtain before leaving New 
Orleans, seemed to point to Corpus Christi as the most 
suitable point for concentration ; and, although before 
the President's instructions of July 30th reached me, 
I would have preferred a position on the left bank of 
the river, yet a careful examination of the country had 
already convinced me that none could be found com- 
bining so many advantages as this. Every day's ex- 
perience has confirmed these impressions. Corpus 
Christi is healthy, easily supplied, and well situated to 



80 ADVANTAGES OF THAT POSITION. 

hold in observation the course of the Rio Grande from 
Matamoras to Laredo — being about one hundred and 
fifty miles from several points on the river. I have 
reason to believe, moreover, that a salutary moral effect 
has been exercised upon the Mexicans. Their traders 
are continually carrying home the news of our position 
and increasing numbers, and are confessedly struck by 
the spectacle of a large camp of well-appointed and 
disciplined troops, accompanied by perfect security to 
their persons and property, instead of the impressment 
and pillage to which they are subject in their own 
country. For these reasons, our position thus far has, 
I think, been the best possible ; but, now that the entire 
force will soon be concentrated, it may well be a ques- 
tion whether the view^s of government will be best 
carried out by our remaining at this point. It is with 
great deference that I make any suggestions on topics 
which may become matter of delicate negotiation ; but 
if our government, in settling the question of boundary, 
makes the line of the Rio Grande an ultimatum, I can- 
not doubt that the settlement will be greatly facilitated 
and hastened by our taking possession at once of one 
or two suitable points on or quite near that river. Our 
strength and state of preparation should be displayed 
in a manner not to be mistaken. However salutary 
may be the effect produced upon the border people by 
our presence here, we are too far from the frontier to 
impress the government of Mexico with our leadiness 
to vindicate, by force of arms, if necessary, our title to 
the country as far as the Rio Grande. The " army of 
occupation" will, in a few days, be concentrated at 
this point, in condition for vigorous and efficient ser- 
vice. Mexico having as yet made no positive decla- 
ration of war, or committed any overt act of hostilities, 



ARMY TO BE CONCENTRATED. 81 

I do not feel at liberty, under my instructions, particu- 
larly those of July 8th, to make a forward movement 
to the Rio Grande without authority from the War 
Department. 

In case a forward movement should be ordered or 
authorized, 1 w^ould recommend the occupation of 
Point Isabel and Laredo, as best adapted to the pur- 
poses of observing the course of the river, and cover- 
ing the frontier settlements of Texas. Point Isabel is 
accessible by water, and can be safely occupied by 
two brigades of infantry, with a suitable force of field 
artillery. On the arrival of the steamer Harney, I 
shall order a careful reconnoissance of Brazos Santiago, 
as a necessary preliminary measure to the occupation 
of Point Isabel. To occupy Laredo wall require a 
land march from this point. Supplies may probably be 
transported by water as high as San Patricio, and pos- 
sibly to the junction of the Rio Frio with the Nueces. 
I propose to establish a depot on the Nueces river, 
probably at the crossing of the San Antonio and La- 
redo road, from which to operate towards the Rio 
Grande. You will perceive from my " special orders" 
No. 24, that a reconnoissance has been ordered in that 
direction. A brigade of infantry, with the cavalry, 
and a battery or two of field artillery, will be sufficient 
for the occupation of Laredo. That town is on the 
left bank of the Rio Grande, and possesses the military 
advantage of holding in observation the main route 
from the'^interior of Mexico through Monterey to Mat- 
amor as. 

In case it should be found impracticable to establish 
a suitable depot on the Nueces, the entire force, after 
strengthening San Antonio, might be thrown forward 



82 FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS REQUIRED. 

to Point Isabel, where it could be readily supplied, and 
held in readiness for any further service. 

I have deemed it my duty to make the above sug- 
gestions. Should they be favorably considered, and 
instructions based upon them, I will thank you to send 
the latter in duplicate to Lieutenant-Colonel Hunt — 
one copy to be dispatched direct, without delay; the 
other to be sent via Galveston, should a steamer be 
running to that port from New Orleans. 
I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D. C. 

P. S. It is proper to add, that should any auxiliary 
force be required, I propose to draw it wholly from 
Texas. I do not conceive that it will become neces- 
sary, under any circumstances, to call for volunteers 
from the United States. Z. T. 



Headquarters, Army op Occupation, \ 
Corpus Christi, Texas, Nov. 7, 1845. j 

Sir : — I respectfully enclose a copy of a letter from 
Commodore Connor, commanding the home squadron, 
which I received by the " Saratoga," sloop of war, on 
the 5th instant. The intelligence communicated by 
the commodore will, doubtless, reach the seat of gov- 
ernment long before the receipt of this letter. 

The communication from the Secretary of War, 
dated October 16th, w^as received and acknowledged 
on the 1st and 2d instant. I purposely deferred a de- 
tailed reply to the various points embraced in that 
communication, until I could receive an answer to 
mine of October 4th, which covered (at least in part) 



FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS REaUIRED. 83 

the same ground. The intelHgence from Mexico, how- 
ever, tends to modify, in some degree, the views ex- 
pressed in that communication. The position now 
occupied by the troops may, perhaps, be the best while 
negotiations are pending, or at any rate until a dispo- 
sition shall be manifested by Mexico to protract them 
unreasonably. Under the supposition that such may 
be the view of the department, I shall make no move- 
ment from this point, except for the purpose of ex- 
amining the country, until further instructions are 
received. You will perceive, from my orders, that 
reconnoissances are almost constantly in the field, the 
officers of engineers and topographical engineers ren- 
dering valuable service on those duties. I refer you 
to the reports made by those officers to the chiefs of 
their own bureaux, for the information which is thus 
procured in relation to the country. An examination 
of the harbor of Brazos Santiago will be ordered in a 
few days — as soon as a proper vessel shall become dis- 
posable for that service. 

In case no movement is made this season towards 
the Rio Grande, I may find it necessary to detach a 
portion of the army a short distance into the interior, 
where wood can be more readily procured than here. 
But in no case do I deem it necessary to hut the troops. 
Sheds, with platforms, on which to pitch the tents, 
were extensively used in camps of position in Florida, 
and will, I cannot doubt, form a sufficient protection 
here. 

On the hypothesis of an early adjustment of the 
boundary, and the consequent establishment of perma- 
nent frontier posts, I cannot urge too strongly upon 
the department the necessity of occupying those posts 
before the warm weather shall set in. A large amount 
4* 



84 ORDERED TO THE RIO GRANDE. 

of sickness is, I fear, to be apprehended, with every 
precaution that can be taken ; but the information 
which I obtain leads me to beUeve that a summer 
movement would be attended with great expense of 
health and life. As in Florida, the winter is the best 
season for operations in Texas. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 
Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D. C. 



HEADaUARTERS, ArMY OF OCCUPATION, ) 

Corpus Christi, Texas, Feb. 4, 1846. ( 

Sir : — I respectfully acknowledge the communica- 
tion of the Secretary of War, dated January, 13th, 
and containing the instructions of the President to 
move forward with my force to the Rio Grande. I 
shall lose no time in making the necessary preparations 
for carrying out those instructions. 

The occupation of Point Isabel or Brazos Santiago 
as a depot will be indispensable. That point and a 
position on or near the river opposite Matamoras will 
I think answer all present purposes. At any rate, I 
shall not separate my force further until the position 
of affairs shall render it entirely safe to do so. 

I propose to abandon this position entirely, as soon 
after our march as the stores, hospital, &c., can be 
transferred to St. Joseph's Island. It will be necessary 
to keep up an establishment at that point for the pres- 
ent, although our supplies will come to Point Isabel 
direct from New Orleans. 

In reply to the call of the Secretary for information 
as to what means, if any, will be required " to enforce 



ARMED VESSELS REQUIRED. 85 

and maintain our common right to navigate" the Rio 
Grande, I would respectfully state that, until I reach 
the river and ascertain the condition of things in the 
frontier states of Mexico, temper of the people, &c., I 
cannot give any satisfactory answer to the question. 
I have every reason to believe that the people residing 
on the river are well-disposed towards our government 
Our advance to the Rio Grande will itself produce a 
powerful effect, and it may be that the common navi- 
gation of the river will not be disputed. It is very 
important to us, and will be indispensable when posts 
are established higher up, as must ultimately be the 
case. 

I shall not call for any militia force in addition to 
w^hat I already have, unless unforeseen circumstances 
shall render its employment necessary. 

I beg leave again to call the attention of the depart- 
ment to the necessity of having our movement and po- 
sition at Brazos Santiago covered by a small armed 
vessel. I deem this vitally important, and hope it will 
meet with favorable consideration. 

We have no news from the interior of Mexico more 
recent than that derived from the New Orleans papers 
of the 26th of January. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, 

"Washington, D. C 



Headquarters, Army op Occupation, * 

Corpus Christi, Texas, February, 26, 1846. ) 

Sir : — I have to report that the preparations for a for- 
ward movement of this command are now nearlv com- 



86 GENERAL TAYLOr's POLICY. 

pleted. The examinations spoken of in my report of 
the 16th instant have shown the practicability of both 
routes — by the main land and by Padre Island. The 
reconnoissance of Padre Island extended to its southern 
extremity, and included the harbor of Brazos Santiago 
and Point Isabel ; that of the main route reached to a 
point near the Little Colorado. A depot, with four 
days' forage and subsistence for the army, wdll be 
thrown forward some forty miles, to the Santa Ger- 
trudes. A detachment of two companies, to establish 
and cover this depot, will march, on the 28th, under 
Brevet Major Graham. In about a week thereafter, 
say the 7th of March, the cavalry w^ill march, to be 
followed, at intervals of one day, by the brigades of in- 
fantry. By the 25th of March, at latest, I hope to be 
in position on the Rio Grande. 

I have taken occasion to represent to some citizens 
of Matamoras, who were here with a large number of 
mules for sale, and who are represented to have con- 
siderable influence at home, that the United States gov- 
ernment, in occupying the Rio Grande, has no motive 
of hostility towards Mexico, and that the army will, in 
no case, go beyond the river, unless hostilities should 
be commenced by the Mexicans themselves ; that the 
Mexicans, living on this side, will not be disturbed in 
any w^ay by the troops ; that they will be protected in 
all their usages ; and that everything which the army 
may need will be purchased from them at fair prices. 
I also stated that, until the matter should be finally ad- 
justed between the two governments, the harbor of 
Brazos Santiago w^ould be open to the free use of the 
Mexicans as heretofore. The same views were im- 
pressed upon the Mexican custom house officer at 
Brazos Santiago, by Captain Hardee, who commanded 



ARMY LEAVES CORPUS CIIRISTI. 87 

the escort which covered the reconnoissance of Padre 
Island. 

We are enth^ely without news of interest from the 
frontier, or the interior of Mexico, our latest date from 
the capital being the 21st of January, and the same 
from Vera Cruz. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D, C. 



Headquarters, Army of Occupation, ) 
Corpus Christi, Texas, March, 8, 184G. $ 

Sir : — I respectfully report that the advance of the 
army, composed of the cavalry and Major Ringgold's 
light artillery, the whole under the command of Colonel 
Twiggs, took up the line of march this morning in the 
direction of Matamoras, its strength being twenty-three 
officers and three hundred and seventy-eight men. 
The advance will be followed in succession by the 
brigades of infantry, the last brigade marching on the 
11th inst. The roads are in good order, the w^eather 
fine, and the troops in excellent condition for service. 

Major Munroe will embark for Brazos Santiago in 
season to reach that harbor about the time the army 
will be in the vicinity of Point Isabel. He takes with 
him a siege train and a field battery. Captain Sanders, 
of the engineers, the officers of ordnance, and the pay 
department, accompany Major Munroe. 

The movement by water, to Brazos Santiago, will 
be covered by the revenue cutter " Woodbury," Captain 
Foster, whose commander has kindly placed her at my 
disposal for this service. 



88 CONCILIATORY ORDERS. 

All proper arrangements have been made by the staff 
departments for supplying the army on the route, as 
well as establishing a depot for its further wants at 
Point Isabel. 

I have deemed it proper to cause my " orders" No. 
30, to be translated into Spanish, and circulated on the 
Rio Grande. Sixty copies have already been sent in 
advance of the army to Matamoras, Camargo, and 
Mier. This form of giving publicity to the spirit which 
actuates our movements in occupying the country, I 
thought preferable to a proclamation. I trust the order 
itself will meet the approval of the department. A few 
copies of the translation are herewith enclosed. 

I shall again communicate with general headquarters 
before I march, and I expect to do so at least once on 
the route. 

My headquarters will march with the rear brigade, 
but will soon pass to the advance of the army. 
I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant General of the Army. 

Washincrton, D. C. 



[translation ORDER NO. 30.] 

HEADaUARTERS, ArMY OF OCCUPATION, ) 

Corpus Christi, March, 8, 1846. $ 

The army of occupation of Texas being now about 
to take a position upon the left bank of the Rio Grande, 
under the orders of the Executive of the United States, 
the general-in-chief desires to express the hope that the 
movement will be advantageous to all concerned ; and 
with the object of attaining this laudable end, he has 



GOOD CONDITION OF THE ARMY. 89 

ordered all under his command to observe, with the 
most scrupulous respect, the rights of all the inhabitants 
who may be found in peaceful prosecution of their re- 
spective occupations, as well on the left as on the right 
side of the Rio Grande. Under no pretext, nor in any- 
way, will any interference be allowed with the civil 
rights or religious privileges of the inhabitants ; but the 
utmost respect for them will be maintained. 

Whatsoever may be needed for the use of the army 
will be bought by the proper purveyor, and paid for at 
the highest prices. The general-in-chief has the satis- 
faction to say that he confides in the patriotism and 
discipline of the army under his command, and that he 
feels sure that his orders will be obeyed with the utmost 
exactness. 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A, commanding. 



HEADaUARTERS, ArMY OP OCCUPATION, 1 

Camp at " El Sauce." 119 miles from > 
Corpus Christi, March 18, 1846. ) 

Sir : — I avail myself of a chance opportunity to Cor- 
pus Christi to report that I have advanced to this point 
with the cavalry and 1st brigade of infantry. The 
2d brigade encamps to-night about seven miles in my 
rear ; the 3rd brigade about nineteen. I shall concen- 
trate all my force on reaching the Little Colorado, 
thirteen miles in my front, so as to be prepared for any 
contingency. I am happy to say that all the corps of 
the army are in fine condition and spirits, equal to any 
service that may be before them. 

Within the last two days, our advance has met with 
small armed parties of Mexicans, who seem disposed 



90 ARRIVES AT POINT ISABEL. 

to avoid us. They were, doubtless, thrown out to get 
information of our advance. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant-General of the Army. 

Washington, D.C. 



HEADaCARTERS, ArMY OP OCCUPATION, ) 

Point Isabel, March 25, 1846. J 

Sir : — I respectfully report that I marched on the 
morning of the 23rd inst. with the entire army from 
the camp near the Colorado, in the order prescribed in 
my order No 35, herewith inclosed. After a march 
of fifteen miles, we reached, on the morning of the 
24th, a point on the route from Matamoras to Point 
Isabel, eighteen miles from the former and ten from the 
latter place. I here left the infantry brigades under 
Brigadier-General Worth, with instructions to proceed 
in the direction of Metamoras until he came to a suit- 
able position for encampment, where he would halt, 
holding the route in observation, while I proceeded 
with the cavalry to this point to communicate with our 
transports, supposed to have arrived in the harbor, 
and make the necessary arrangements for the establish- 
ment and defence of a depot. 

While on my way hither, our column was approached 
by a party on its right flank, bearing a white flag. It 
proved to be a civil deputation from Matamoras, de- 
siring an interview with me. I informed them that I 
would halt at the first suitable place on the road, and 
aflbrd them the desired interview. It was, however, 
found necessary, from the want of water, to continue 
the route to this place. The deputation halted while 



FIRE AT POINT ISABKL. 91 

yet some miles from Point Isabel, declining to come 
further, and sent me a formal protest of the prefect of 
the northern district of Tamaulipas against our occu- 
pation of the country, which I inclose herewith. At 
this moment it was discovered that the buildings at 
Point Isabel Avere in flames. I then informed the 
bearer of the protest that I would answer it when op- 
posite Matamoras, and dismissed the deputation. I 
considered the conflagration before my eyes as a de- 
cided evidence of hostility, and was not willing to be 
trifled with any longer, particularly as I had reason to 
believe that the prefect, in making this protest, was but 
a tool of the military authorities at jMatamoras. 

The advance of the cavalry fortunately arrived here 
in season to arrest the fire, which consumed but three 
or four houses. The port captain, who committed the 
act under the orders, it is said, of General Mejia, had 
made his escape before its arrival. We found two or 
three inoffensive Mexicans here, the rest having left 
for Matamoras. 

I was gratified to find that the water expedition had 
exactly answered to our land movement — the steamers 
arriving in the harbor only two or three hours before 
we reached Point Isabel, with the other transports 
close in their rear. The " Porpoise" and " Lawrence," 
brigs of war, and cutter " Woodbury," are lying out- 
side. I have thought it necessary to order Captain 
Porter's company in this place to reinforce Major Mun- 
roe. Our great depot must be here, and it is very im- 
portant to secure it against any enterprise of the enemy. 
The engineer officers are now examining the ground 
with a viev/ to tracing lines of defence, and strength- 
ening the position. 

As soon as a sufficient amount of supplies can be 



92 A MEXICAN PROTEST. 

thrown forward toward Matamoras, I shall march in 
the direction of that town, and occupy a position as 
near it as circumstances will permit. 

I inclose a sketch prepared by my aide-de-camp, 
Lieutenant Eaton, exhibiting the route of march since 
leaving the Colorado, and the bearings of important 
points. 

I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 

The Adjutant-General of the Army, 

V\'ashin2ton, D. C. 



[translation.] 

Office of the Prefect of the Northern District of the > 
Department of Tamaulipas, Santa Rita, March 23, 1846. 5 

God and Liberty ! 

Sir : — Although the pending question respecting the 
annexation of the department of Texas to the United 
States, is subject to the decision of the supreme gov- 
ernment of Mexico, the fact of the advance of the 
army under your excellency's orders, over the line oc- 
cupied by you at Corpus Christi, places me under the 
necessity, as the chief political authority of the north- 
ern district of Tamaulipas, to address you, as I have 
now the honor to do, through the commissioners, who 
will place this in your hands, and to inform you that 
the people, under this prefecture, being justly alarmed 
at the invasion of an army, which, v/ithout any pre- 
vious declaration of w^ar, and without announcing ex- 
plicitly the object proposed by it, comes to occupy a 
territory which never belonged to the insurgent prov- 
ince, cannot regard w^ith indifference a proceeding so 
contrary to the conduct observed towards each other 



PROTEST CONTINUED. 93 

by civilized nations, and the clearest principles of the 
law of nations ; that, directed by honor and patriotism, 
and certain that nothing has been said officially by the 
cabinet of the Union to the Mexican government, res- 
pecting the extension of the limits of Texas to the 
left bank of the Rio Bravo, trusting in the well-known 
justice of their cause, and using their natural right of 
defence, they (the citizens of this district) protest, in 
the most solemn manner, that neither now nor at any 
time do they, or will they, consent to separate them- 
selves from the Mexican republic, and to unite them- 
selves with the United States ; and that they are 
resolved to carry this firm determination into effect, 
resisting so far as their strength wdll enable them, at all 
times and places, until the army under your excel- 
lency's orders shall recede and occupy its former posi- 
tions ; because so long as it remains within the territory 
of Tamaulipas, the inhabitants must consider that what- 
soever protestations of peace may be made, hostilities 
have been openly commenced by your excellency, the 
lamentable consequences of which will rest before the 
world exclusively on the heads of the invaders. 

I have the honor to say this to your excellency, with 
the object indicated, and to assure you of my consider- 
ation and esteem. 



JENES CARDENAS. 



Juan Jose Pineda. 
To General Z. Taylor, &c. 



[extract.] 

Camp on the left bank of the Rio Grande, > 
Opposite Matamoras, March 29th, 1846. \ 

Sir : — I have the honor to report that I arrived at 
this camp yesterday, with the forces uader my com- 



94 HOSTILITY OF THE MEXICANS. 

mand, no resistance having been offered to my advance 
to the banks of the river, nor any act of hostiUty com- 
mitted by the Mexicans, except the capture of two of 
om' dragoons, sent forward from the advanced guard. 
I deem it possible that these two men may have de- 
serted to the enemy, as one of them, at least, bears a 
bad character. Our approach seems to have created 
much excitement in Matamoras, and a great deal of 
activity has been displayed since our arrival, in the 
preparation of batteries. The left bank is now under 
reconnoissance of our engineer officers, and I shall 
lose no time in strengthening our position by such de- 
fensive works as may be necessary, employing for that 
purpose a portion of the heavy guns brought round by 
sea. 

The attitude of the Mexicans is, so far, decidedly 
hostile. An interview has been held, by my direction, 
with the military authorities in Matamoras, but with 
no satisfactory result. 

Under this state of things, I must again and urgently 
call your attention to the necessity of speedily sending 
recruits to this army. 

The militia of Texas are so remote from the border, 
* * * * that we cannot depend upon their aid. 

The strength gained by filling up the regiments here, 
even to the present feeble establishment, would be of 
very great importance. 

I respectfully inclose a field report of the force now 
in this camp. 

I am, sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 
The Adjutant General of the Army, 

Washington, D. C. 



MEXICAN PREPARATIONS TOR WAR. 95 

While the American government was thus prepar- 
ing to meet any emergency that might grow out of the 
annexation of Texas, as wall have been gathered from 
this correspondence, Mexico was not idle. She had, 
through her minister at Washington, General Almonte, 
warmly and decidedly protested against that measure. 
His protest having been disregarded, he demanded his 
passports, and left the United States, thus putting an 
end to all diplomatic intercourse between the two gov- 
ernments. As soon as information was received at the 
capital of Mexico that Congress had admitted Texas 
into the American confederacy, active preparations 
were taken to resist what the Mexican government 
affected to believe a virtual dismemberment of the 
Mexican nation, and an encroachment upon the integ- 
rity of its soil. The step seems to have been generally 
regarded as a sufficient and justifiable cause of war. 
Loans w^ere immediately made, and an army ordered 
to Texas, and the regular army was to be increased 
forthwith to sixty thousand men. There were already 
two thousand troops at Matamoras, and these were 
joined, in April, 1846, by twenty-two hundred more, 
amongst whom were two hundred cavalry. 

On the nth of March, 1846, General Taylor, with 
the troops that had not already preceded him, took up 
his line of march from Corpus Christi, and on the 28th 
of the same month arrived at the Rio Grande, w^here 
Fort Brown now stands, a distance of one hundred 
and nineteen miles from the post he had left on the 
Nueces. This march, at any season of the year, over 
a low marshy country, would have been attended with 
great difficulty and embarrassment. But it was espe- 
cially so, at the time General Taylor, with his army, 
performed it. The soldiers were therefore nearly worn 



96 SUMMONS TO GENERAL TAYLOR. 

out with fatigue upon their arriving at their destina- 
tion. Upon General Taylor's arrival at Point Isabel, 
on his way to Matamoras, he had defences thrown up 
there under the superintendence of Captain Sanders, 
with a view to making it a depot for his provisions and 
military stores. While here he was met by a deputa- 
tion of fifty Mexicans, who protested against his occu- 
pying the country ; but he coolly informed them he 
should not have time to consider their request until he 
reached Matamoras. 

When General Taylor arrived at the Rio del Norte, 
the Mexican colors were flying from the headquarters 
of Gen. Mejia, the commander of Matamoras, troops 
were moving about in every direction, and everything 
indicated the excitement and activity of a military en- 
campment on the eve of some great event. On the 
12th of April, two weeks after General Taylor had 
taken up his position opposite the city, he was sum- 
moned by General Ampudia, the commander-in-chief 
of the Mexican forces, to evacuate his posts, and the 
American Consul, and all other American citizens, were 
ordered to leave Matamoras without delay. The sum- 
mons of General Ampudia was in terms as follows : — 

" To explain to you the many grounds for the just 
grievances felt by the Mexican nation, caused by the 
United States government, would be a loss of time, 
and an insult to your good sense ; I therefore pass at 
once to such explanations as I consider of absolute 
necessity. 

"Your government, in an incredible manner — you 
will even permit me to say an extravagant one, if the 
usage or general rules established and received among 
all civilized nations are regarded— has not only in- 
sulted, but has exasperated the Mexican nation, bear- 



GENERAL TAYLOr's REPLY. 97 

ing its conquering banner to the left bank of the Rio 
Bravo del Norte; and in this case, by explicit and 
definite orders of my government, which neither can, 
will, nor should receive new outrages, I require you in 
all form, and at latest in the peremptory term of 
twenty-four hours, to break up your camp and retire 
to the other bank of the Nueces river, while our gov- 
ernments are regulating the pending question in rela- 
tion to Texas. If you insist in remaining upon the soil 
of the department of Tamaulipas, it will clearly result 
that arms, and arms alone, must decide the question ; 
and in that case I advise you that we accept the war 
to which, with so much injustice on your part, you 
provoke us, and that, on our part, this war shall be 
conducted conformably to the principles established by 
the most civilized nations ; that is to say, that the law 
of nations and of war shall be the guide of my opera- 
tions ; trusting that on your part the same wall be 
observed." 

To this summons to General Taylor to withdraw his 
troops beyond the Nueces, he replied on the same day. 
After acknowledging the receipt of Ampudia's order, 
and recounting its purport, he says, "I need hardly 
advise you that, charged as I am, in only a military 
capacity, with the performance of specific duties, I 
cannot enter into a discussion of the international 
question involved in the advance of the American 
army. You will, however, permit me to say that the 
government of the United States has constantly 
sought a settlement, by negotiation, of the question of 
boundary ; that an envoy was dispatched to Mexico 
for that purpose, and that up to the most recent dates 
said envoy had not been received by the actual Mexi- 
can government, if indeed he has not received Ms 



&8 HIS REFUSAL TO COMPLY. 

passports and left the republic. In the meantime, 1 
have been ordered to occupy the country up to the 
left bank of the Rio Grande, until the boundary shall 
be definitely settled. In carrying out these instruc- 
tions I have carefully abstained from all acts of hos- 
tility, obeying, in this regard, not only the letter of my 
nstructions, but the plain dictates of justice and 
humanity. 

" The instructions under which I am acting will not 
permit me to retrograde from the position I now oc- 
cupy. In view of the relations between our respective 
governments, and the individual suffering which may 
result, I regret the alternative which you offer ; but, at 
the same time, wish it understood that I shall by no 
means avoid such alternative, leaving the responsibility 
with those who rashly commence hostilities. In con- 
clusion, you will permit me to give the assurance, that 
on my part, the laws and customs of war among civ- 
ilized nations shall be carefully observed." 

General Worth was appointed to open communica- 
tions with General Mejia, and bear to him this answer 
to General Ampudia's summons. Mejia at first de- 
clined to receive either General Worth or General 
Taylor's communication. He, however, finally con- 
sented to receive the latter, and sent General La Vega 
to meet Worth. The interview terminated in nothing 
decisive, except the return of two dragoons who had 
been captured by the Mexicans, while in advance of 
the main body of the army. 

Matters having been brought nearly to a crisis, by 
the refusal of General Taylor to obey the summons of 
Ampudia, to withdraw his forces within twenty-four 
hours to the left bank of the Nueces, the Second regi- 
ment of the American troops was on the 13th removed 



THE RIO GKAN^DE BLOCKADED. 99 

out of the reach of the shot from the Mexican batteries, 
while the Third, and Duncan's and Bragg's companies 
of flying artillery occupied the field works. The river 
was also blockaded, and all communications and sup- 
plies thereby cut off with this city. Four days after, 
Lieutenants Porter and Dobbins, with a party of ten 
men, were sent in pursuit of Colonel Cross, Deputy 
Quartermaster General, whom it was subsequently 
ascertained, was murdered on the 10th of April by the 
Mexicans, while he was taking a ride near the Amer- 
ican camp. While in the performance of this duty, 
the party fell in, on the 18th, with one hundred and 
fifty Mexicans, whom they fired upon and put to flight, 
and took possession of their camp, equipage and horses. 
But they were attacked by night, on their return to 
camp, by a large party of Mexicans, and Lieutenant 
Porter, a brave and gallant young oflicer, and son of 
the late Commodore Porter, was killed. 

Upon ascertaining that the Rio Grande had been 
blockaded, Ampudia addressed a strong remonstrance 
to General Taylor against the measure. He informed 
Taylor that from various sources worthy of confidence, 
" I have learned that some vessels bound for the mouth 
of the river, have not been able to effect an entrance 
into that port, in consequence of your orders that they 
should be conducted to Brazos Santiago. The cargo 
of one of them is composed in great part, and of the 
other entirely of provisions, which the contractors 
charged with providing for the army under my orders 
had procured to fulfil the obligations of their contracts. 
You have taken possession of these provisions by force, 
and against the will of the proprietors, one of whom is 
vice consul of her Catholic Majesty, and the other of 

her Britannic Majesty ; and whose rights, in place of 
5 



100 AMPUDIAS PROTEST. 

being rigorously respected, as was proffered, and as 
was to be hoped from the observance of the principles 
which govern among civilized nations, have, on the 
contrary, been violated in the most extraordinary 
manner opposed to the guarantee and respect due to 
private property. 

" Nothing can have authorized you in such a course. 
The commerce of nations is not suspended or inter- 
rupted except in consequence of a solemn declaration 
of blockade, communicated and established in the form 
prescribed by international law. Nevertheless, you 
have infringed these rules : and, by an act which can 
never be viewed favorably to the United States gov- 
ernment, have hindered the entrance to a Mexican 
port, of vessels bound to it, under the confidence that 
commerce would not be interrupted. My duties do 
not allow me to consent to this new species of hostility, 
and they constrain me to require of you, not only that 
the vessels taken by force to Brazos Santiago shall -be 
at liberty to return to the mouth of the river, but the 
restoration of all the provisions which, besides belong- 
ing to private contractors, were destined for the troops 
on this frontier. I consider it useless to inculcate the 
justice of this demand, and the results which may 
follow an unlooked-for refusal. 

" I have also understood that two Mexicans, carried 
down in a boat by the current of the river near one of 
the advanced posts of your camp, were detained, after 
being fired upon, and that they are still kept and treated 
as prisoners. The individuals in question do not belong 
to the army, and this circumstance exempts them from 
the laws of war. I therefore hope that you will place 
them absolutely at liberty, as I cannot be persuaded 
that you pretend to extend to persons not military the 



TAYLOR S PACiriC IXTEXTIOXS. IQ] 

consequences of an invasion, Avhich without employing 
this means of rigor against unarmed citizens, is marked 
in itself \vith the seal of universal reprobation." 

This remonstrance of the Mexican commander, 
seems to have made but little impression upon General 
Taylor ; and his reply to it is so much to the point, so 
happily conceived, and so elegantly expressed, that it 
deserves careful attention. After acknowledging the 
receipt of Ampudia's communication, Taylor expresses 
his surprise that the Mexican general should complain, 
after all that had passed since the arrival of the Ameri- 
can army on the Rio Grande, of a measure which is 
no other than a natural result of the state of war, so 
much insisted on by the Mexican authorities as actu- 
ally existing. He then proceeds to recall to his mind 
circumstances that would show, in his opinion, that 
the state of war insisted upon by Mexico, had not been 
sought by the American army, but had been forced 
upon it, and that the exercise of the rights incident to 
such state, could not be a subject of complaint. 

" On breaking up my camp at Corpus Christi," he 
continues, '"'and moving forward with the army under 
my orders, to occupy the left bank of the Rio Bravo, 
it was my earnest desire to execute my instructions in 
a pacific manner ; to observe the utmost regard for the 
personal rights of all citizens residing on the left bank 
of the river, and to take care that the religion and cus- 
toms of the people should suffer no violation. With 
this view, and to quiet the minds of the inhabitants, I 
issued orders to the army enjoining a strict observance 
of the rights and interests of all Mexicans residing on 
the river, and caused said orders Ikj be translated into 
Spanish, and circulated in the several towns on the 
Bravo. These orders announced the spirit in which 



102 REVIEWS HIS ACT3. 

we proposed to occupy the country, and I am proud to 
say that up to this moment the same spirit has con- 
trolled the operations of the army. On reaching the 
Arroyo Colorado, I was informed by a Mexican officer 
that the order in question had been received at Mata- 
moras ; but was told at the same time, that if I at- 
tempted to cross the river, it would be regarded as a 
declaration of war. Again, on my march to Frontone, 
I was met by a deputation of the civil authorities of 
Matamoras protesting against my occupation of a por- 
tion of the department of Tamaulipas, and declaring 
that if the army was not at once withdrawn, war would 
result. While this communication was in my hands, 
it was discovered that the village of Frontone had 
been set on fire and abandoned. I viewed this as a 
direct act of war, and informed the deputation that 
their communication would be answered by me when 
opposite Matamoras, which was done in respectful 
terms. On reaching the river I dispatched an officer, 
high in rank, to convey to the commanding general in 
Matamoras, the expression of my desire for amicable re- 
lations, and my willingness to leave open to the use of the 
citizens of Matamoras the port of Brazos Santiago, until 
the question of boundary should be definitely settled. 
This officer received for reply, from the officer selected 
to confer with him, that my advance to the Rio Bravo 
was considered as a veritable act of war, and he was 
absolutely refused an interview with the American 
consul, in itself an act incompatible with a state of 
peace. 

" Notwitnstanding these repeated assurances on the 
part of the Mexican authorities, and notwithstanding 
the most obviously hostile preparations on the right 
bank of the river, accompanied by a rigid non-inter- 



RESPONSIBILITY ASSUMED. 103 

course, I carefully abstained from any act of hostility 
— determined that the onus of producing an actual 
state of hostilities should not rest with me. Our rela- 
tions remained in this state until I had the honor to 
receive your note of the 12th instant, in which you 
denounce war as the alternative of my remaining in 
this position. As I could not under my instructions, 
recede from my position, I accepted the alternative you 
offered me, and made all my dispositions to meet it 
suitably. But, still v/illing to adopt milder measures 
before proceeding to others, I contented myself in the 
first instance with ordering a blockade of the mouth 
of the Rio Bravo, by the naval forces under my orders 
— a proceeding perfectly consonant with the state of 
war so often declared to exist, and which you acknowl- 
edged in your note of the 16th instant, relative to the 
late Colonel Cross. If this measure seem oppressive, I 
wish it borne in mind that it has been forced upon me 
by the course you have seen fit to adopt. I have re- 
ported this blockade to my government, and shall not 
remove it until I receive instructions to that efTect, 
unless indeed you desire an armistice pending the 
final settlement of the question between the govern- 
ments, or until war shall be formally declared by either, 
in which case I shall cheerfully open the river. In 
regard to the consequences you mention as resulting 
from a refusal to remove the blockade, I beg you to 
understand that I am prepared for them, be they what 
they may. 

" In regard to the particular vessels referred to in 
your connnunication, I have the honor to advise you 
that, in pursuance of my orders, two American schoon- 
ers, bound for jMatamoras, were warned off on the 17th 
instant when near the mouth of the river, and put to 



104 ampudia's complaints. 

sea, returning probably to New Orleans. They were 
not seized, or their cargoes disturbed in any way, nor 
have they been in the harbor of Brazos Santiago to my 
knowledge. A Mexican schooner, understood to be the 
" Juniata," was in or off that harbor when my instruc- 
tions to block the river were issued, but was driven to 
sea in a gale, since which time I have had no report 
concerning her. Since the receipt of your communi- 
cation, I have learned that two persons, sent to the 
mouth of the river to procure information respecting 
this vessel, proceeded thence to Brazos Santiago, when 
they were taken up and detained by the officer in com.- 
mand, until my orders could be received. I shall order 
their immediate release. A letter from one of them to 
the Spanish vice consul is respectfully transmitted here- 
with. 

"In relation to the Mexicans said to have drifted 
down the river in a boat, and to be prisoners at this 
time in my camp, I have the pleasure to inform you 
that no such persons have been taken prisoners, or are 
now detained by my authority. The boat in question 
was carried down empty by the current of the river, 
and drifted ashore near one of our pickets, and was 
secured by the guard. Some time afterwards an at- 
tempt was made to recover the boat under the cover 
of the darkness ; the individuals concerned were hailed 
by the guard, and, failing to answer, were fired upon 
as a matter of course. What became of them is not 
known, as no trace of them could be discovered on the 
following morning. The officer of the Mexican guard 
directly opposite was informed next day that the boat 
would be returned on proper application to me, and I 
have now only to repeat that assurance. 

" In conclusion, I take leave to state that I consider 



WARLIKE PIIEPARATI0N3, 105 

the tone of your communication highly exceptionable, 
where you stigmatize the movement of the army un- 
der my orders as ' marked wdth the seal of universal 
reprobation.' You must be aware that such language 
is not respectful in itself, either to me or my govern- 
ment ; and while I observe in my own correspondence 
the courtesy due to your high position, and to the mag- 
nitude of the interests with which we are respectively 
charged, I shall expect the same in return." 

In the meantime, matters were rapidly ripening for 
an open resort to arms, and everything indicated too 
surely that the Mexicans were only waiting for the 
most favorable time to strike a blow at our army that 
should annihilate it, and rid themselves of such unwel- 
come neighbors. They did not rely alone on the power 
of their arms to accomplish that object. They resorted 
to the less dangerous expedient of attempting to corrupt 
the fidelity of the American soldiers, and of inducing 
them to desert, by the most tempting offers of lands 
and promotions. Addresses were issued to them con- 
taining these flattering propositions, w^hich they always 
found means to liave introduced into General Taylor's 
camp. One of these papers, signed by Arista, who had 
superseded Ampudia in the command of the Mexican 
forces, and which will be found below, most artfully 
appeals to the cupidity and prejudices of those soldiers 
not native citizens of the United States. 

" HEACaUARTERS AT MaTAMORAS, > 

April 26, 1846. J 

" Soldiers ! — You have enlisted in time of peace to 
serve in that army for a specific term ; but your obli- 
gation never implied that you were bound to violate 
the laws of God, and the most sacred rights of friends! 
The United States government, contrary to the wishes 



106 ATTEMPT AT CORrxUPTrON. 

of a majority of all honest and honorable Americans, 
has ordered you to tdk^ forcible possession of the terri- 
tory of a friendly neighbor, who has never given her 
consent to such occupation. In other w^ords, while 
there exists a treaty of peace and commerce betw^een 
Mexico and the United States, the United States, pre- 
suming on her strength and prosperity, and on our sup- 
posed imbecility and cowardice, attempts to make you 
the blind instruments of her unholy and mad ambition, 
and force you to appear as the hateful robbers of our 
dear homes, and the unprovoked violators of our dear- 
est feelings as men and patriots. Such villany and 
outrage, I know, is perfectly repugnant to the noble 
sentiments of any gentleman, and it is base and foul to 
rush you on to certain death, in order to aggrandize a 
few lawdess individuals, in defiance of the laws of God 
and man ! 

" It is to no purpose if they tell you, that the law of 
the annexation of Texas justifies your occupation of 
the Rio Bravo del Norte ; for by this act they rob us 
of a great part of Tamaulipas, Coahuili, Chihuahua, 
and New Mexico ; and it is barbarous to send a hand- 
ful of men on such an errand against a powerful and 
warlike nation. Besides, the most of you are Europe- 
ans, and Ave are the declared friends of a majority of 
the nations of Europe. The North Americans are 
ambitious, overbearing, and insolent as a nation, and 
they will only make use of you as vile tools to carry 
out their abominable plans of pillage and rapine. 

" I warn you in the name of justice, honor, and your 
own interests and self-respect, to abandon their despe- 
rate and unholy cause, and become peaceful Mexican 
citizens. I guarantee you, in such case, a half section 
of land, or three hundred and twenty acres, to settle 



MEXICANS CROSS THE RIO GRANDE. 107 

upon, gratis. Ba wise, then, and just, and honorable, 
and take no part in murdering us who have no unkind 
feehngs for you. Lands shall be given to oiiicers, ser- 
geants, and corporals, according to rank, privates re- 
ceiving three hundred and twenty acres, as stated. 

" If in time of action you wish to espouse our cause, 
throw away your arms and run to us, and we will em- 
brace you as true friends and Christians. It is not de- 
cent nor prudent to say more. But should any of you 
render important service to IMexico, you shall be ac- 
cordingly considered and preferred." 

It has already been stated that General Taylor had 
established a depot of provisions, arms, and munitions 
of war at Point Isabel. On the 24th of April, informa- 
tion was received by him that twenty-five hundred 
Mexicans had crossed the Rio Grande, part above and 
part below his camp, and cutting off all communication 
between Fort Brown and Point Isabel. Captain Ker's 
squadron of dragoons was immediately ordered to re- 
connoitre the country between the two positions, and 
Captain Thornton- was dispatched above the Fort for 
the same purpose. The latter proceeded up the river 
for about twenty miles, when his Mexican guide re- 
fused to proceed any further, alleging as his reason 
that the country was filled with Mexican troops. Cap- 
tain Thornton proceeded to move on, however, until 
he came to a farm-house and plantation, v^'hich were 
entirely surrounded by a thick chapparal fence. He 
entered the plantation v.'ith his squadron in single file, 
and while making inquiries at the house he was com- 
pletely surrounded and taken by surprise by a Mexican 
force of several hundred infantry and cavalry, under the 
command of General Torrejon. Captain Thornton 
charcTAd upon the Mexican cavalry in gallant style, and 



108 SURPRISE OF CAPTAI^r THORNTON. 

drove them back. But the infantry, from every quar- 
ter of the chapparal, poured in a destructive fire upon 
his command, and prevented them from reaching the 
opening by w^hich they had entered. Thornton, how- 
ever, succeeded in clearing the chaparral hedge and 
making his escape, though his noble charger was se- 
verely wounded in the act of making this extraordi- 
nary leap. His followers were less fortunate in the 
attempt. They immediately rallied under Captain Har- 
dee, upon whom the command now devolved, and en- 
deavored to escape from the snare in which they had 
become so fatally entangled, by escaping to the Mexi- 
can side of tlie river. But here they again failed, the 
banks of the stream being impassable. All retreat 
being thus rendered impossible, Captain Hardee ex- 
pressed his willingness to surrender, on condition that 
the Mexican commander would guarantee to him and 
his men the treatment to which prisoners of war are 
entitled amongst civilized nations, and he declared their 
determination to sell their lives as dearly as possible, 
if such terms should be refused. This assurance, how- 
ever, was readily given, when the Americans surren- 
dered themselves prisoners of war, and were taken to 
Matamoras. This remarkable victory of three or four 
hundred Mexicans over twenty-five Americans, was 
received with unbounded delight by the Mexican army, 
and filled their imaginations with numerous future tri- 
umphs over the American arms. Upon the receipt of 
the tidings, General Arista issued the following glow- 
ing congratulatory letter to General Torrejon : — 

" This has been a day of rejoicing to all the Division 
of the North, it having this day been known of the tri- 
umph achieved by the brigade which your excellency 
so worthily commands. The rejoiced country will 



MEXICAN REJOICI\^G. 109 

doubtless celebrate this f)reliininary of glorious deeds 
that her happy sons will in future present to her. Your 
excellency will communicate to your brave soldiers 
that I have seen with the greatest pleasure their valiant 
behavior, and that I await for the detailed dispatch to 
elevate it to the knowledge of the supreme government, 
so that the nation may learn the triumph of your arms." 

Captain Thornton succeeded in reaching the Amer- 
ican camp within five miles, after almost miraculously 
escaping a perfect shower of Mexican bullets, while 
fleeing through their lines, when he was captured and 
taken to Matamoras. lie remained there for some 
time, but was finally given up. In this encounter Lieu- 
tenant G. T. Mason was killed. 

Captain Ker, with his detachment, after having re- 
connoitered the country between Fort Frown and the 
mouth of the Rio Grande, returned, w^ithout having 
fallen in with the enemy. On the 28th, however, Cap- 
tain Vf alker, of the Texas Rangers, who was at Point 
Isabel, attempted a reconnoissance of the route towards 
General Taylor's headquarters, but was driven back 
wdth some loss, having encountered a force of fifteen 
hundred men. The next day he made a successful 
attempt to convey a message from Major Munroe, in 
command at Point Isabel, to General Taylor. 



CHAPTER lY. 

General Taylor leaves Fort Brown. — Mexicans prepare to Dispute his 
Passage.— Mexican estimate of their Valor. — Charge of Cowardice 
against General Taylor.— Bombardment of Fort Brown. — Further 
account of their Glorious Deeds. — Erect a Battery in the rear of the 
Fort.— Death of Major Brown. — The Fort Summoned to Surrender, 
— Refusal. — Bombardment Resumed. — Taylor starts on his return 
from Point Isabel.— Meets the Enemy.— Battle of Palo Alto. — The 
Details. 

On the 1st of May, 1846, immediately after receiv- 
ing the message of j\Iajor Munroe, General Taylor left 
his intrenchments opposite Matamoras, and took up his 
line of march for Point Isabel, determined to open the 
communication between the two positions, at all haz- 
ards, and to fight the enemy, however strong he might 
be. He left Major Jacob Brown, a brave and accom- 
plished officer, in command of Fort Brown, with the 
Seventh regiment of infantry, and two companies of 
artillery, the latter commanded by Captain Lowd, and 
Lieutenant Bragg, respectively, making a force of about 
five hundred effective men. Arista mistook the move- 
ment of General Taylor towards Point Isabel for a pre- 
cipitate retreat of the American forces, and forthwith 
dispatched a bulletin to Mexico, announcing the fact ; 
or, if he did not himself believe our army intended to 
letreat, he meant to create such an impression amongst 
the Mexican soldiers, and in the mind of his own gov- 
ernment. All the movements of General Tavlor seem 



AN IMAGINARY VICTORY. Ill 

to have been well known at Matamoras, however im- 
perfectly his motives and intentions were understood, 
and preparations were accordingly made for cutting 
him off. The designs of the Mexican generals are re- 
vealed in the following semi-official communication, 
taken from the El Monitor Republicano of May 4th, 
three days after General Taylor left Fort Brown. It is 
in the usual exaggerated and grandiloquent style of 
Mexican documents, but it reveals the feelings which 
they entertained towards the Americans before the 
breaking out of hostilities, and the large expectations 
of success by v/hich they were governed : — 

" On the first of this month (May) at eleven o'clock in 
the morning, the general-in-chief left this place (Mata- 
moras) to join the army, who several hours before had 
left with the intention of crossing the river at a short 
distance from the camp of the enemy. In consequence 
of the orders given, so that this dangerous operation 
might be performed with due security, and according 
to the rules of military art, when our troops arrived at 
the spot designated for the crossing of the river, the 
left bank was already occupied by Gen. D. Anastasio 
Torrejon, with all the force under his command. The 
enthusiasm of our soldiers to conquer the obstacles 
which separated them from the enemy was so great, 
that they showed themselves impatient of the delay 
occasioned by the bad condition of some of the flat 
boats, which had been very much injured in the trans- 
portation by land, and could not be used, as they would 
fill up with water as soon as they were launched. In 
spite of that obstacle, the work went on with such ac- 
tivity, and so great was the ardor of the most excellent 
general-in-chief, whose orders were obeyed with the 
greatest promptness and precision, that a few hours 



112 MEXICAN BOASTING. 

were sufficient to transport, to the opposite bonk of the 
Bravo, a strong division, with all its artillery and train. 

" This rapid and well combined movement ought to 
have proved to the invaders not only that the Mexicans 
possess instruction and aptness for war, but that those 
qualities are now brought forth by the purest patriot- 
ism. The Northern Division, fearless of fatigue, and 
levelling all difficulties, ran to seek an enemy who, well 
sheltered under parapets, and defended with guns of 
a large calibre, could wait for the attack with indis- 
putable advantage. With deep trenches, with a multi- 
tude of fortifications, the defence was easy against those 
who presented themselves with their naked breasts. 

" But General Taylor dared not resist the valor and 
enthusiasm of the sons of Mexico. Well did he foresee 
the intrepidity with which our soldiers Vv^ould rush 
against the usurpers of the national territory. Well 
did he know the many injuries which were to be 
avenged by those who had taken up arms, not to ag- 
grandize themselves with the spoils of the property of 
others, but to maintain the independence of their coun- 
try. Well did he know, we repeat it, that the Mexi- 
cans would be stopped neither by trenches, or fortresses, 
or large artillery. Thus it was that the chief of the 
American forces, frightened as soon as he perceived 
from the situation and proximity of his camp, that our 
army were preparing to cross the river, left with pre- 
cipitation for Point Isabel, with almost all his troops, 
eight pieces of artillery, and a few wagons. Their 
march was observed from our position, and the most 
excellent General D. Francisco Mejia immediately sent 
an express extraordinary to communicate the news to 
the most excellent general-in-chief. Here let me pay 
to our brave men the tribute which thev deserve. The 



A CHARGE OF COWARDICE. 113 

express verbally informed some of the troops which had 
not yet arrived at the ford, of the escape of the iVmeri- 
cans; in one instant, all the soldiers spontaneously 
crossed the river, almost racing one with another. 
Such w^as the ardor with which they crossed the river 
to attack the enemy. 

" The terror and haste with which the latter fled to 
the fort, to shut themselves up in it and avoid a con- 
flict, frustrated the active measures of the most excel- 
lent Senor General Arista, which were to order the 
cavalry to advance in the plain and to cut off the flight 
of the fugitives. But it was not possible to do so, not- 
withstanding their forced march during the night. 
General Taylor left his camp at 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon, and, as fear has wings, he succeeded in shutting 
himself up in the fort. When our cavalry reached the 
point where they were to detain him, he had already 
passed, and was several leagues ahead. Great was the 
sorrow of our brave men not to have been able to meet 
the enemy face to face ; their defeat was certain, and 
the main body of that invading army, who thought 
that they inspired the Mexicans with so much respect, 
would have disappeared in the first important battle. 
But there was some fighting to be done ; and the 
Americans do not knovs^ how to use other arms but 
those of duplicity and treachery. V/hy did they not 
remain with firmness under their colors? Why did 
they abandon the ground which they pretend to usurp 
with such iniquity ? Thus has an honorable general 
kept his word. Had not General Taylor said, in all 
his communications, that he was prepared to repel all 
hostihties ? Why, then, does he fly in so cow^ardly a 
manner to shut himself up at the Point ? The com- 
mander-in-chief of the American army has covered 



114 FORT BROWN BOMBARDED. 

himself with opprobrium and ignominy in sacrificing a 
part of his forces, whom he left in the fortifications, to 
save himself ; for it is certain that he will not return to 
their assistance — not that he is ignorant of their peril, 
but he calculates that this would be gi*eater if he had 
the temerity of attempting to resist the Mexican lances 
and bayonets in the open plain." 

The Mexican general conceived that, as General 
Taylor had " retreated" from Fort Brown, the small 
detachment left to defend it must fall a very easy prey 
to Mexican valor and provv^ess. On the 3rd of May, 
they opened upon it a fire from a seven-gun battery, 
which was returned by Major Brown wdth great spirit 
and effect, silencing their guns in a very few moments. 
They immediately commenced another attack, how- 
ever, with shot and shell, killing Sergeant Weigard 
while at his post, but doing little other damage. The 
firing upon the fort was heard by General Taylor, at 
Point Isabel, and he immediately dispatched Captains 
May and Walker to ascertain the position of affairs 
there. They returned with intelligence that the fort 
was in a condition to resist any force that could be 
brought against it. 

The result of their first day's bombardment of Fort 
Brown filled the Mexicans with even greater delight, 
if possible, than the remarkable achievement of sur- 
prising and capturing Captain Thornton's handful of 
men with their overwhelming force. Great rejoicings 
were had in Matamoras over the brilliant achievement, 
and an ofiicial dispatch, in the following terms, was for- 
warded to the Mexican government : 

"But let us relate the glorious events of yesterday. 
As Aurora dawned, we began to fire from our ram- 
parts on the fortifications of the enemy, and the thun- 



THE EXEMY S ACCOUNT OF IT. 115 

der of Mexican cannon was saluted by the reveille 
from every point of our line, by the bell of the paro- 
chial church, and by the vivas of the inhp,bitants of 
Matamoras. In a moment the streets wv:6 filled, and 
all were rejoiced to see at last the hour arrived, when 
we were to give a terrible lesson lo the American 
camp, w^hose odious presence could no longer be tole- 
rated. The enemy answered, but they were soon 
convinced that their artillery, although of a superior 
calibre, could not compete with ours. After a fire of 
five hours, our ramparts remained immovable, on ac- 
count of the solidity of their construction, and the in- 
telligence with which the rules of art had been observed. 
The same did not happen to the American fortifica- 
tions, whose bastions were so completely demolished, 
that towards eleven o'clock in the morning tlieir artil- 
lery ceased to play, and their fire was hushed. Vie 
continued to fire with activity during the day, without 
the enemy's daring to respond to us, because the para- 
pets under which they would shelter themselves being 
destroyed, they had not courage to load their guns, 
which remained uncovered. This result shows us of 
what in reality consists the exalted skill of the Ameri- 
can artillerists. They have eighteen pounders, and 
we have nothing larger than eight pounders ; and yet 
the intelligence and practice of the Mexicans sufhced 
to conquer those who had superior arms. Unequalled 
glory and eternal honor to our brave artillerymen. 

" The enemy, in their impotent rage, and before 
they concealed their shame behind the most distant 
parapets, had the bar1)arous pleasure of aiming their 
guns towards the city, to destroy its edifices, as it was 
not in their power to destroy the fortifications from 
which they received so much injury. This wicked re- 



116 THEIR OPINION OF AMERICAN TROOPS. 

venge, which only springs from cowardly and miser- 
able souls, did not meet with the success expected by 
those who so unworthily adorn themselves with the 
title of savans and philanthropists. Their stupidity 
w^as equal to their wickedness. Almost all the balls 
passed too high ; and those which touched the houses, 
although they were eighteen pounders, did not cause 
any other mischief but that of piercing one or two 
walls. If those who conceived the infamous design of 
destroying Matamoras, had seen the contemptuous 
laughter with w^iich the owners of those houses showed 
their indifference for the losses which they might sus- 
tain, they w^ould have admired the patriotism and dis- 
interestedness of the Mexicans, always ready to un- 
dergo the greatest sacrifices, when it is necessary to 
maintain their nationality and independence. The 
glorious 3rd of May is another brilliant testimony of 
this truth ; through the thickest of the firing, one could 
remark the most ardent enthusiasm on all faces, and 
hardly had a ball fallen, when even the children would 
look for it, without fearing that another aimed in the 
same manner should fall in the same place. That, we 
saw ourselves in the public square, where a multitude 
of citizens were assembled. 

" The triumph of our arms has been complete, and 
we have only to lament the loss of a sergeant and 
two artillerymen, who fell gloriously in fighting for their 
country. The families of those victims ought to be 
taken care of by the supreme government, to whose 
paternal gratitude they have been recommended by 
the most excellent senor general-in-chief. We must 
also be consoled by the thought that the blood of these 
brave men has been revenged by their bereaved com- 
panions. As many of our balls passed through the 



WHAT THEY CONSIDER A TRIUMPH. 117 

enemy's embrasures, the loss to the Americans must 
have been very great ; and aUhough we do not know 
exactly the number of their dead, the most accurate 
information makes it amount to fifty-six. It is probable 
that such is the case. Since eleven o'clock in the 
morning, the abandonment of their guns, merely be- 
cause two of them were dismounted, and the others 
were uncovered ; the panic-terror with which, in all 
haste, they took refuge in their furthest entrenchments, 
taking away from the camp all that could suffer from 
the attack of our artillery ; the destruction which must 
have been occasioned by the bombs, so well aimed, that 
some would burst at a yard's distance from the ground 
in their descent to the point where they w^ere to fall ; 
evervthing contributes to persuade that indeed the 
enemy have suffered a terrible loss. If it were not the 
case — if they preserved some remnant of valor, why 
did thev not dare to repair their fortifications in the 
night. It is true that, from time to time, a few guns 
were fired on them in the night, but their aim could 
not be certain, and cowardice alone could force them 
not to put themselves in an attitude to return the fire 
which was poured on them again at daylight. No 
American put out his head; silence reigned in their 
camp ; and for this reason we have suspended our fire 
to-day — that there is no enemy to meet our batteries. 

" To conclude, we will give a brilliant paragraph 
relating to the contest, by the most excellent senoi 
general-in-chief, as to the part which he took in the 
events of yesterday. He says thus : ' Mexico must 
glorify herself, and especially the valiant men of the 
Division of the North, that a force inferior in its ele- 
ments, and perhaps in number also, and which required 
nearlv two months to swell itself with the auxiliaries 



118 MEXICAN VALOK. 

cominsc from the capital, should meet in an immense 
plain, defying the army of the United States, and the 
whole power of that republic, without their opponents, 
who could receive succor in the space of fifty hours, 
daring to leave the fort to give us battle.' 

" From the news which we publish to-day, it will be 
seen that the Northern Division, so deservedly in- 
trusted with the first operations against the North 
American army, has most nobly filled its highly im- 
portant mission. Not that we mean to be understood 
as considering its task is yet fully completed, but we 
anticipate, before the end of the present week, to wit- 
ness the total discomfiture of the enemy, who has had 
the temerity to answer the fire of our batteries ; of 
those batteries that gave them yesterday such abun- 
dant proof of that valor, so characteristic of the Mex- 
icans : a valor rendered famous in a hundred bloody 
contests ! It v.-ere endless to recount all the acts of 
patriotism performed by the troops of the garrison, and 
the valiant citizens who shared in the defence of the 
city — they courted danger with that intrepidity always 
inspired by a just cause. 

"So rapid is the fire of our guns, that the batteries 
of the enemy have been silenced. But what is most 
worthy of notice, as showing the great enthusiasm of 
this place, is the fact that many of the inhabitants, of 
both sexes, in the hottest of the cannonade, remained 
firm in front of the enemy, filled with enthusiasm ; 
indeed, fear is always unknown to those whose mission 
is to avenge an outrage upon the sacred rights of their 
beloved country. 

" From our account of the war, the world will judge 
of the great superiority of our troops, in courage as 
well as skill, over the Americans. It is indeed wonder- 



THEIR SUPERIORITY OVER AMERICANS. 119 

fill to witness the dismay of the enemy : rare is the 
occurrence when an American ventures outside of the 
breastwork. There can be no doubt of this, that the 
Mexicans will be considered by foreign nations as the 
very emblems of patriotism. How evident that tliey 
inherit the blood of the noble sons of Pelayo ! Happy 
they who have met with so glorious a death in defend- 
ing the territory bequeathed to them by their fathers ! 

" The nation with which we are at war is most 
savage in its proceedings ; no regard being paid to the 
flags of friendly nations : even those usages and cus- 
toms respected by civilized nations, to divest war of 
some of its horrors, have been shamefully disregarded. 
The enemy have fired red shot against this innocent 
city, and we publish it to the world in proof that, with 
all their boasted wisdom and liberty, they are unworthy 
of being counted among enlightened nations. 

" His excellency, the general-in-chief of the Northern 
Division, and his intrepid soldiers, are ready to fight 
the enemy in any numbers, and we are certain that 
our arms will be successful ; but the nation against 
whom we have to contend is excessively proud ; and 
it is also possessed of resources which may perhaps 
surpass those within our reach. Let us then make an 
immense effort to repel their aggressions. Let us con- 
tribute everything most dear to us, our persons, our 
means, to save our country fron^ its present danger 
Let us oppose to the unbridled ambition of the Anglo- 
American, that patriotic enthusiasm, so peculiar to us. 
Indeed, we need only follow the glorious example of 
Matamoras, that noble city, which will be known in 
future by the name of Heroic. Its inhabitants have 
emulated the examples of Menamia, and Sagantum ; 
they have determined to die at the foot of the eagle of 



120 DEATH OF MAJOR BROWN. 

Anahuac, defend their fort whilst they retain the breath 
of Hfe — this plan is settled. The supreme government 
is making strenuous exertions in order to protect the 
territory placed under its care by the nation, and 
nothing is now wanting but for the people to rush in a 
mass to the frontier, and the independence of Mexico 
is safe." 

During the night of the 4th of May, a large body of 
Mexican troops crossed the river and erected a strong 
battery in the rear of Fort Brown, and on the morning 
of the 5th a heavy fire was opened from this battery, 
and the fort was assailed wdth great vigor. At the 
same time a hot fire was opened from the batteries at 
Matamoras, and a galling discharge of shot and shell 
was kept up for about an hour. The fire of the enemy 
fi;om both these positions was returned with spirit and 
effect, by Major Brown, until they were silenced for 
the day. Early on the morning of the 6ih, the fire 
from the enemy's batteries was renewed with increased 
vigor, their shot and shell falling in every direction, 
tearing tents to pieces and wounding many of the 
horses. But for the great size of the field-w^orks and 
the very few men to defend it, the loss of life must 
have been very severe. As it was, the only one who 
fell during the bombardment, which continued through- 
out the day, w^as Major Brown, the noble, high-minded 
and accomphshed commander of the fort. After the 
firing had continued for several hours, this gallant 
officer took his usual round to satisfy himself that 
every man w^as at liis post and in the performance of 
his duties. While making his observations he was 
struck by a shell, which took oft* one of his legs, and 
dreadfully mangled him. He was immediately taken 
to the hospital and his leg amputated above the knee. 



SUMMONS TO FORT BROWN. 121 

But he could not be saved, and after lingering until 
the 9th of May, he died, universally lamented, not only 
by the army, who best knew his worth, but by the 
Vv'hole country. Fev/ men, indeed, had obtained a 
stronger hold upon the aiTection of the soldiers, or 
was more sincerely esteemed by his brother otiicers, 
of whatever rank, than Major Brown. 

Upon leaving Fort Brown for Point Isabel, General 
Taylor gave orders to Major Brown to maintain his 
post, whatever contingency might arise, and under no 
circumstances to hazard his position by making a sally 
against the enemy. In the event of the fort being sur- 
rounded and an assault made upon him, he was ordered 
to warn him of the fact, b}^ firing, at stated intervals, 
his eighteen pounders. On the evening of that day, 
accordingly, the signal guns were fired, and their warn- 
ing voice infonned him, though many miles distant, 
that the contemplated danger was threatening the gal- 
lant defenders of Fort Brown. These signal guns 
seemed to stimulate the enemy to still more active ex- 
ertions to capture the fort, before they could call Gene- 
ral Taylor back to its aid. So satisfied were they that 
they were making dreadful havoc amongst the Ameri- 
cans, and that Captain Hawkins, who had succeeded 
Major Brov/n in command, could not hold out against 
their destructive fire, that Arista summoned him to 
surrender, out of pure humanity. Captain Hawkins, 
however, was wholly insensible to this magnanimous 
conduct, and informed him that, as his interpreter was 
not skilled in Spanish, he might not have understood 
his communication, but if he did, he should respectfully 
decline to surrender the fort. This indifference to the 
humane proposition, brought upon the fort a more 
heavy fire from the Mexican batteries than they had 



122 THEIR FIRE RECOMMENCED. 

yet suffered. Shells and shot were literally showered 
into the fort. This storm of iron Captain Hawkins 
was unable to return for want of powder, which ren- 
dered the condition of his troops extremely irksome 
and mortifying. 

With the morning light of the 7th the enemy's bat- 
teries recommenced, but after pouring into the fort a 
large number of shot and shell, they suddenly ceased. 
About half-past seven o'clock a large number of Mexi- 
cans were discovered in and around the Fanques del 
Raminero, and the houses formerly occupied by the 
guards of the Second Brigade. Several rounds of can- 
ister and grape were fired into them, which caused 
them to make a precipitate retreat, after throv/ing a few 
shell in return. The Mexicans had theretofore used 
shell made of bronze ; they now used iron, which they 
fired at intervals until noon. It was at this time dis- 
covered that the mortar battery in the rear of the fort, 
had been removed to the city of Matamoras. About 
noon some shells were thrown, which killed four of 
Lieutenant Bragg's horses, and broke the wheel of one 
of his caissons. Soon after, all their batteries opened, 
and kept up a steady firing of round shot and shell, 
which continued for nearly two hours. By one of 
these discharges the sentinel lost his arm, but the bomb 
proofs were so far advanced that the men were com- 
paratively protected. Random shots were now fired 
from under the bank of the river, and the rear of the 
fort ; it was evidently the determination of the besiegers 
to give the fort no rest, and induce them to expend all 
their ammunition, having been informed by deserters 
that there was little in the fort. Orders had been given 
to return no fire more than eighty yards distant, and as 
the Mexicans never approached to within twice that 



A HAPPY OMEN. 123 

distance, they elicited no reply. At half-past two a 
regular bombardment commenced from all the batte- 
ries, howitzers, and mortars, which continued without 
intermission until sunset. 

At dark, the indefatigable Captain Mansfield, with 
a small party, left the fort, and levelled the traverse 
thrown up by our troops when they first arrived on 
the banks of the river, and also cut down a large quan- 
tity of chapparel that served at times to cover the 
" sharp shooters" of the enemy. Everything after this 
remained quiet until midnight. Each man was at 
his post, and anxiously awaiting the assault, when the 
stillness was broken by volleys of musketry, and bu- 
gles " sounding the charge," The firing then ceased, 
but in a short time recommenced, and continued until 
daylight. 

At noon the bombardment was resumed, and kept 
up about two hours. Many of the soldiers began to 
show symptoms of being worn dov/n with hard labor 
and watching ; nature was becoming exhausted, they 
grew indifferent about the exploding shells, and list- 
lessly let them burst in dangerous proximity to their 
persons. The heavy bombardment had hardly ceased, 
when a severe cannonading was heard tovmrds Point 
Isabel ; so sudden did it commence, and so rapidly was 
it carried on, that it seemed like one continued volley 
of field-pieces. The soldiers in the fort sprang as one 
man to their feet, and listened. The sounds of artillery 
continued to roil on the plain ; a simultaneous shout 
rose from the men in the fort, that must have sounded 
in Matamoras more terribly than our severest cannon- 
ade, for it must have told the people there that those 
in the fort believed that General Taylor was on the 

advance from Point Isabel. The enemy felt that shout, 
6 



X24 TAYLOR LEAVES POLN'T 13 ABEL. 

for there immediately commenced a severer bombard- 
ment than the fort had yet sustained ; and a new mor- 
tar battery having been opened across the river, west 
of the fort, made four playing upon it from different 
points at the same time. The enemy's cavalry and 
infantry were seen above and below the fort crossing 
the river in masses, supposed for the purpose of rein- 
forcing the enemy. At seven o'clock the bombard- 
ment ceased, the fort having received through the day 
three hundred shot and shell, with comparatively httle 
injury. 

As soon as General Taylor was satisfied by the sig- 
nal guns from Fort Brown, that it had been attacked 
and was in danger, he made prompt preparations for 
opening his communication between it and Point Isabel 
and for relieving its gallant defenders from their peril- 
ous situation. Accordingly, on the evening of the 7th 
of May, he left Point Isabel v»dth a force of about twen- 
ty-one hundred men, and a train of two hundred and 
fifty wagons, loaded with provisions and military stores, 
determined to give the enemy battle, however numer- 
ous he might be. That night his army encamped about 
seven miles from Point Isabel, and resumed his march 
early on the morning of the 8th. About twelve o'clock, 
his advanced guards reported that the Mexican forces 
were drawn up in large numbers to dispute his progress. 
Another report immediately followed, however, inform- 
ing him that they had withdrawn their advance, and 
were retreating towards Fort Brown. His wagon 
trains and troops were therefore again put in motion, 
and progressed until the country opened into a broad 
prairie, bounded by Palo Alto, a thick grove of dwarfish 
trees. On both the right and left of the American army 
were ponds of fresh water, and beyond them, chapparal. 



THE POSITION OF THE EXEMY. 125- 

Upon this prairie the enemy were again drawn up, pre- 
pared for battle. On the extreme right was drawn up 
a division of Mexican cavahy, with their long, sharp- 
pointed lances glittering in the sun, and their pennants 
gayly waving in the breeze. Next, were posted their 
artillery and their heavy bodies of infantry, the whole 
forming a solid column of over a mile in length, with 
artillery, infantry and cavalry, alternately arranged, 
and presenting a most formidable appearance. 

General Taylor's train was immediately formed into 
a solid square, and his army rapidly advanced until the 
heads of his column reached the open prairie. While 
thus advancing, Lieutenant J. E. Blake, of the Topo- 
graphical Engineers, passed at full speed the advance 
guard, saying " he was going down to observe the en- 
emy's lines." He continued on, until within one hun- 
dred and fifty yards of them, when he dismounted, and 
drawing out his spyglass, commenced a reconnoissance, 
the boldness of which, called forth admiration from the 
thousands who witnessed it. While thus engaged, two 
Mexican officers, evidently under the impression that 
he had some important communication to make to their 
commanding general, rode out from the ranks to meet 
him ; Lieutenant Blake observing this, remounted his 
horse, and rode deliberately down the whole of the 
enemy's line ; then returning, he gave to General Tay- 
lor, what was subsequently proved to be a correct ac- 
count of the Mexican force, in both artillery, cavalry, 
and infantry. 

The space between the two armies was now gradu- 
ally lessening, and soon the details could be distin- 
guished. The tall, rank grass of the prairie, deadened 
the heavy tramp of the cavalry, and the lumbering 
v.'heels of the artillerv ; and the whole moved forward 



126 THE BATTLE BEGUN. 

SO silently that the rattling of their trappings could be 
heard singularly plain. A space of seven hundred 
yards only, intervened between the two armies, when 
the batteries on the right of the Mexican line opened, 
throwing their ball and grape over the heads of the 
Americans, and announcing, in tones of thunder, that 
the contest had begun. In quick succession the whole 
of their artillery, from extreme right to left, poured forth 
volleys of ball, which made the earth tremble, and filled 
the air with clouds of dust and sulphurous smoke. The 
word was now given for the advancing columns to halt, 
and deploy into line. When this was done, Lieutenant 
Churchill's eighteen-pounders boomed above the sur- 
rounding din, announcing, in full rolling echoes, that the 
Americans were " in the field." Major Ringgold's and 
Captain Duncan's commands were now ordered for- 
ward into the open prairie, and commenced their rapid 
discharges. A general cannonading now raged, un- 
paralleled, it is beheved, in any fight upon an open bat- 
tle-field. Duncan's battery, from its conspicuousness 
and nearness to our line, had often the concentrated 
fire of the enemy upon it. For two hours twenty or 
thirty pieces of artillery rent the air with their thun- 
ders ; the iron hail tearing up the prairie in deep fur- 
rows, and sending the dry dust in clouds in the air. 
There was but little precision in the enemy's firing. 
The missiles almost invariably passed over the xlmeri- 
can lines. Far different was it with our own ; at every 
discharge, the sudden opening that followed in the solid 
masses, marked the terrible course of death where the 
Mexican cavalry bit the dust. The infantry, cool spec- 
tators of the raging battle, marked with eagle eyes this 
havoc in the opposing ranks, and mingled their exult 
ing shouts with the din, as they witnessed the prowess 



EFFECT OF OUR ARTILLERY. 127 

of their companions in arms. The terrible eighteen- 
pounders rose ever above the tumult, and seemed as if 
keeping time in solemn sound, as at every discharge 
they sent their huge masses of crushing iron into the 
living wall at which they were directed. As the battle 
thickened, the infantry, now formed in our rear, grew 
impatient to participate in the fight, and the Mexican 
cavalry, by suffering so severely by our artillery, pre- 
pared for the charge. The manoeuvring of the day 
now commenced — the time for cool courage, quick 
thought, and deeds of individual heroism had arrived. 

A regiment of Mexican lancers, commanded by Gen- 
eral Torrejon, moved towards our right, as it was sup- 
posed to gain possession of our train. The Third and 
Fifth regiments of infantry, with a portion of Ring- 
gold's battery, under the command of Lieut. Ridgeley, 
were ordered to check this movement, and turn the left 
flank of the enemy. They, hov/ever, still keeping up 
an irregular fire, continued steadily to advance toward 
our right and front, so as to out-flank our line, if possi- 
ble. Upon their near approach, the Fifth was thrown 
into square, with Captain Walker, and twenty mounted 
men, on its right. Lieutenant Ridgeley having dashed 
forward, uniimbered his battery, and commenced rapid 
discharges of grape and can-ister upon the enemy's ar- 
tillery, causing it to retreat; but the lancers, fifteen 
hundred strong, continued steadily to advance, in spite 
of all opposition, until the Fifth poured into them from 
the head of the square, a fire so deadly, that the front 
of the cavalry recoiled ; great numbers fell dead, and 
those in the rear, without pressing forward on the bay- 
onets, ready to receive them, broke into confusion. A 
portion, however, re-formed, and kept bravely on, in 
the attempt to reach the trains, when Coloned Twiggs 



128 LIEUTENANT RIDGELEY S GALLANTRY. 

ordered the Third infantry to the extreme right, to cut 
off their advance. When the enemy saw this move- 
ment, they commenced a retreat in good order, march- 
ing apparently by squadrons, when Lieutenant Ridge- 
ley, assisted by Lieutenant French, opened his batte- 
ries, scattering them in all directions. 

While Lieutenant Ridgeley was engaged in directing 
this fire, his horse was shot from under him, and the 
same ball probably that caused the death of his steed, 
alarmed the horses at one of his caissons, which sprang 
madly forward in range of the gun. Lieutenant 
Ridgeley, regardless of personal danger, rushed forward 
between the two contending fires, seized the front 
horses by the head, and brought them into their places ; 
thus saving not only his horses, but the ammunition of 
his battery. During this time. Major Ringgold's bat- 
tery was not idle ; but, supported by the Fourth infan- 
try, kept up a galling and continuous fire. On the left, 
and in the advance, was Duncan's battery, which, sup- 
ported by the Eighth infantry and Captain Ker's squad- 
ron of dragoons, poured forth a terrible discharge. 
The dragoons, who, from their elevated position could 
witness its effects, say that horses and riders were fre- 
quently blown into the air, and long openings were 
often visible that it made in the columns against which 
it was directed ; notwithstanding this, the enemy's line 
remained unshaken. So rapid were these discharges, 
that the wiry grass of the prairie, that reached nearly 
up to the muzzle of the pieces, dried before the sheeted 
flame, and burst into a blaze ; the sulphurous smoke of 
the exploded cannon and the musket cartridges had al- 
ready clouded the air, as if to veil the horrors of war 
from the clear blue sky above ; but, when this confla- 
gration took place, the very heavens were at times 



FIRMNESS OF THE MEXICANS. 131 

darkened, and huge masses of smoke rolled across the 
plain, completely obscuring our lines from the enemy's 
view. 

After the battle had raged two hours, the Mexican 
batteries began to slacken, and finally ceased altogether. 
They were unable longer to withstand the terrible and 
destructive fn-e of Ringgold's, Churchill's, Duncan's 
and Ridgeley's guns, and began to fall back for the 
purpose of forming a new line of battle under cover of 
the smoke. Our eighteen pounders were then moved 
forward until they occupied the position where the 
Mexican cavalry were posted at the beginning of the 
battle. The Americans also formed a new line, their 
right wing resting on these eighteen-pounders. The 
two armies were now formed in parallel lines, but the 
Mexicans were better protected than in their first posi- 
tion, by the chapparal in their rear. 

Scarcely an hour elapsed before the action was re- 
sumed. It was commenced by our artillery, which 
was evidently more destructive than ever. But the 
Mexicans withstood the shock with great firmness. 
Soon after the action was renewed, Captain May was 
ordered to attack their left. He cheerfully obeyed the 
order, but he was unable to m.ake much impression on 
the cavalry with his small force, and accordingly re- 
sumed his former position without again having an op- 
portunity to share in the engagement. It w^as now 
nearly night, and the Mexicans resolved to make one 
last effort to shake the firmness of the American lines, 
and to silence the deadly fire of the eighteen pounders 
and Ringgold's battery. Accordingly, they poured in 
upon them almost a literal tempest of balls. Captain 
Page fell, mortally wounded, a cannon ball having car- 
ried away the whole of his lower jaw, and the brave 



132 DEATH OF MAJOU RINGGOLD. 

Major Ringgold had both legs nearly shot away by a 
ball which passed entirely through his horse. San- 
guine expectations of his recovery were for a time en- 
tertained. But they were not to be realized, and on 
the evening of the 11th he died at Point Isabel, mourned 
by the army as a loss to the service and the country, 
not easily to be repaired. 

The artillery battalion under Colonel Childs was 
now brought up to support the artillery on the right, 
when a fierce charge was made upon this part of the 
line by a strong body of Mexican cavalry, which con- 
tinued to advance in spite of a destructive fire from 
our artillery. The battalion was formed into a hollow 
square, and calmly av/aited the attack ; but a severe 
discharge of canister from the eighteen-pounders threw 
them into confusion, and finally dispersed them. A 
heavy fire of musketry was in the meantime opened 
upon the square, wounding Lieutenant Luther slightly, 
and killing and severely wounding several soldiers. 
Colonel Childs, however, poured in upon them a well- 
directed discharge from his guns, which eflfectually si- 
lenced the enemy's left. But another effort was made 
by Arista to turn our flank, and get possession of our 
stores in the rear. This movement w^as fortunately 
discovered by Captain Duncan, and he was imme- 
diately ordered to hold the enemy in check until the 
eighth infantry could come to his assistance. This he 
accom.plished in most gallant style, opening upon them 
a deadly fire before they were av/are of his vicinity. 
Every discharge was fearfully destructive, mowing 
down whole ranks of the enemy. They could not long 
stand under this murderous fire, though they continued 
to advance vrith great firmness for a time. They v/ere 
driven back in confusion, but immediately reformed 



THE KILLED AND WOUNDED. 133 

and again moved forward, and were again driven back 
in hopeless disorder, and commenced a precipitate re- 
treat, throwing all into confusion who had yet stood 
firm. Thus they were driven from the field and com- 
pelled to take shelter in the chapparal. Night now put 
an end to the contest. Thus ended the battle of Palo 
Alto, after the action had continued for nearly five 
hours with almost uninterrupted fury. When it was 
ended, our soldiers sunk down wherever they chanced 
to be, wholly exhausted by the exertions and excite- 
ment of the day, and fell asleep with nothing but the 
sky above them and the earth beneath. The dragoons, 
how^ever, kept w^atch all night, fearing an attempt 
would be made to surprise them by the enemy. Too 
much uncertainty hung over the future to allow the 
officers any repose. All felt that the morrow would 
bring forth another day of battle, and excitement, and 
carnage, and that the Mexicans would make another 
mighty effort to crown it with victory to their arms. 
They held a council of war, however, and after calmly 
considering the events of the day they had just passed, 
and the probabilities of the approaching contest, they 
unanimously resolved to move on early the next morn- 
ing and give the enemy battle again, if they should be 
found on this side of the Rio Grande. 

The force under General Taylor in this hard fought 
battle, but little exceeded tvv'o thousand men ; while 
the Mexican army was, at least, six thousand strong, 
or about three to one against the Americans. Our 
loss in the engagement, was four men killed, and three 
officers, and thirty-seven wounded — several of the lat- 
ter mortally. The loss of the Mexicans was two hun- 
dred killed and about four hundred wounded, besides 
the missing and desertions. It is believed, however, 
6* 



134 Taylor's official account. 

that their loss in killed, wounded, and missing, was but 
little short of one thousand men. 

" Our march," says General Taylor, in his official dis- 
patch, "was resumed the following morning. Abou.t 
noon, when our advance of cavalry had reached the 
water-hole of 'Palo Alto,' the Mexican troops were 
reported in our front, and were soon discovered occu- 
pying the road in force. I ordered a halt upon reach- 
ing the water, with a view to rest and refresh the men, 
and to form deliberately our line of battle. The Mex- 
ican line was now plainly visible across the prairie, and 
about three quarters of a mile distant. Their left, 
which was composed of a heavy force of cavalry, oc- 
cupied the road, resting upon a thicket of chapparal, 
while masses of infantry were discovered in succession 
on the right, greatly outnumbering our own force. 

" Our line of battle was nov/ formed in the following 
order, commencing on the extreme right : — 5th in- 
fantry, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mcintosh ; 
Major Ringgold's artillery ; 3rd infantry, commanded 
by Captain L. N. Morris ; two eighteen-pounders, com- 
manded by Lieutenant Churchill, 3rd artillery ; 4th in- 
fantry, commanded by Major G. W. Allen ; the 3rd and 
4th regiments composed the Third brigade, under com- 
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Garland ; and all the above 
corps, together with two squadrons of dragoons under 
Captains Ker and May, composed the right wing, un- 
der the orders of Col. Twiggs. The left was formed 
by the battalion of artillery commanded by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Childs, Captain Duncan's light artillery, and 
the 8th infantry, under Captain Montgomery — all form- 
ing the First brigade, under command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Belknap. The train was parked near the wa- 



Taylor's official account. 135 

ter, under direction of Captains Grossman and Myers, 
and protected by Captain Ker's squadron. 

"At two o'clock we took up the march by heads of 
columns, in the direction of the enemy — the eighteen 
pounder battery following the road. While the columns 
were advancnig, Lieutenant Blake, topographical engi- 
neer, volunteered a rcconnoissance of the enemy's line, 
which was handsomely performed, and resulted in the 
discovery of at least tvv^o batteries of artillery in the 
intervals of their cavalry and infantry. These batteries 
were soon opened upon us, when I ordered the columns 
halted and deployed into line, and the fire to be re- 
turned by all our artillery. The 8th infantry, on our 
extreme left, was thrown back to secure that flank. 
The first fires of . .e enemy did little execution, while 
our eighteen-pounders and ]\iajor Ringgold's artillery 
soon dispersed the cavalry which formed his left. Cap- 
tain Duncan's battery, thrown forward in advance of 
the line, was doing good execution at this time. Cap- 
tain May's squadron was now detached to support 
that battery, and the left of our position. The Mexi- 
can cavalry, with two pieces of artillery, were now re- 
ported to be moving through the chapparal to our right, 
to threaten that flank, or make a demonstration against 
the train. The 5th infantry was immediately detached 
to check this movement, and supported by Lieutenant 
Ridgeley, with a section of Major Ringgold's battery 
and Captain Walker's company of volunteers, effectu- 
ally repulsed the enemy— the 5th infantry repelling a 
charge of lancers, and the artillery doing great execu- 
tion in their ranks. The 3rd infantry was now de- 
tached to the right as a still further security to that 
flank, yet threatened by the enemy. Major Ringgold, 
with the remaining section, kept up his fire from an 



138 TAYLOR S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 

advanced position, and was supported by the 4th in- 
fantry. 

" The grass of the prairie had been accidentally fired 
by our artillery, and the volumes of smoke now par- 
tially concealed the armies from each other. As the 
enemy's left had evidently been driven back and left 
the road free, the cannonade having been suspended, I 
ordered forward the eighteen-pounders on the road 
nearly to the position first occupied by the Mexican 
cavalry, and caused the First brigade to take up a new 
position still on the left of the eighteen-pounder battery. 
The 5th w^as advanced from its former position and 
occupied a point on the extreme right of the new line. 
The enemy made a change of position corresponding 
to our own, and after a suspension A nearly an hour 
the action was resumed. 

" The fire of artillery was now most destructive — 
openings were constantly made through the enemy's 
ranks by our fire, and the constancy with which the 
Mexican infantry sustained this severe cannonade was 
a theme of universal remark and admiration. Captain 
May's squadron was detached to make a demonstration 
on the left of the enemy's position, and suffered severely 
from the fire of artillery to which it was for some tim.e 
exposed. The 4th infantry, which had been ordered to 
support the eighteen-pounder battery, was exposed to 
a most galling fire of artillery, by which several men 
were killed and Captain Page dangerously wounded. 
The enemy's fire was directed against our eighteen- 
pounder battery, and the guns under Major Ringgold 
in its vicinity. The Major himself, while coolly direct- 
ing the fire of his pieces, was struck by a cannon ball 
and mortally wounded. 

"In the meantime the battedion of artillery under 



Taylor's official account. 137 

Lieutenant-Colonel Childs, had been brought up to sup- 
port the artillery on our right. A strong demonstration 
of cavalry was now made by the enemy against this 
part of our line, and the column continued to advance 
under a severe fire from the eighteen-pounders. The 
battalion was instantly formed in square, and held ready 
to receive the charge of cavalry, but when the advan- 
cing squadrons were within close range, a deadly fire 
of canister from the eighteen-pounders dispersed them. 
A brisk fire of small-arms was now opened upon the 
square, by which one officer. Lieutenant Luther, 2nd 
artillery, was slightly wounded, but a well-directed vol- 
ley from the front of the square silenced all further firing 
from the enemy in this quarter. It was now nearly 
dark, and the action was closed on the right of our line, 
the enemy having been completely driven back from 
his position, and foiled in every attempt against our hne. 

" While the aboA^e was going forward on our right, 
and under my own eye, the enemy had made a serious 
attempt against the left of our line. Captain Duncan 
instantly perceived the movement, and by the bold and 
brilliant manoeuvring of his battery, completely re- 
pulsed several successive efforts of the enemy to ad- 
vance in force upon our left flank. Supported in suc- 
cession by the 8th infantry and Captain Ker's squad- 
ron of dragoons, he gallantly held the enemy at bay, 
and finally drove him, with immense loss, from the field. 
The action here and along the whole line, continued 
until dark, when the enemy retired into the chapparal 
in rear of his position. Our army bivouacked on the 
ground it occupied. During the afternoon the train 
had been moved forward about half a mile, and was 
parked in rear of the new position." 

General Arista, in his official report of the battle, ex- 



138 MEXICAN OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 

ercises the usual ingenuity of Mexican generals, in 
turning a disastrous defeat into a brilliant and decisive 
victory. The tone of his dispatch affords a remarka- 
ble contrast to the modest and unassuming account of 
the same battle by General Taylor. In his dispatch 
the Mexican commander says : " Constant in my pur- 
pose of preventing General Taylor from uniting the 
forces which he brought from the Fronton of Sante 
Isabel, with those which he left fortified opposite Mat- 
amoras, I moved this day from the Fanques del Rami- 
nero, whence I dispatched my last extraordinary cou- 
rier, and took the direction of Palo Alto, as soon as my 
spies informed me that the enemy had left Fronton, 
with the determination of introducing into his fort 
wagons loaded with provisions and heavy artillery. 

" I arrived opposite Palo Alto about one o'clock, and 
observed that the enemy was entering that position. 

" With all my forces, I established the line of battle 
in a great plain, my right resting upon an elevation, 
and my left on a slough of difficult passage. 

*' Scarcely was the first cannon fired, when there ar- 
rived General D. Pedro de Ampudia, second in com- 
mand, whom I had ordered to join me after having 
covered the points which might serve to besiege the 
enemy in the forts opposite Matamoras. 

" The forces under my orders amounted to three 
thousand men, and twelve pieces of artillery ; those of 
the invaders were three thousand, rather less than 
more, and were superior in artillery, since they had 
twenty pieces of the calibre of sixteen and eighteen 
pounds. 

" The battle commenced so ardently, that the fire of 
cannon did not cease a single moment. In the course 
of it, the enemy wished to follow the road to Matamo- 



MEXICAN OFFICIAL ACCOUNT 139 

ras, to raise the siege of his troops ; with which object 
he fired the grass, and formed in front of his hne of 
battle a smoke so thick, that he succeeded in covering 
himself from our view, but by means of manoeuvres 
this was twice embarrassed. 

" General Taylor maintained his attack rather de- 
fensively than offensively, employing his best arm, 
v/hich is artillery, protected by half of the infantry, 
and all of his cavalry, — keeping the remainder fortified 
in the ravine, about two thousand yards from the field 
of battle. 

" I was anxious for the charge, because the fire of 
cannon did much damage in our ranks, and I instructed 
General D. Anastasio Torrejon to execute it with the 
greater part of the cavalry, by our left flank, with some 
columns of infantry, and the remainder of the cavalry. 
" I was waiting the moment when that general should 
execute the charge, and the effect of it should begin to 
be seen, in order to give the impulse on the right ; but 
he was checked by a fire of the enemy, which defended 
a slough that embarrassed the attack. 

" Some battalions, becoming impatient by the loss 
they suffered, fell into disorder, demanding to ad- 
vance or fall back. I immediately caused them to 
charge with a column of cavalry, under the command 
of Colonel D. Cayetano Montero ; the result of this 
operation being that the dispersed corps repaired their 
fault as far as possible, marching towards the enemy, 
who, in consequence of his distance, was enabled to fall 
back upon his reserve, and night coming on, the bat- 
tle was concluded, — the field remaining for our arms. 
" Every suitable measure was then adopted, and 
the division took up a more concentrated curve in the 
same scene of action. 



140 MEXICAN OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 

" The combat was long and bloody, which may be 
estimated from the calculations made by the com- 
mandant general of artillery, General D. Thomas Re- 
quena, who assures me that the enemy threw about 
three thousand cannon shots from two in the afternoon, 
when the battle commenced, until seven at night, when 
it terminated, — six hundred and fifty being fired on our 
side. 

" The national arms shone forth, since they did not 
yield a hand's breadth of ground, notw^ithstanding the 
superiority in artillery of the enemy, who suffered much 
damage. 

*' Our troops have to lament the loss of two hundred 
and fifty-two men dispersed, wounded and killed, — the 
last worthy of national recollection and gratitude for 
the intrepidity with which they died fighting for the 
most sacred of causes. 

" Will your excellency please with his note to report 
to his excellency the President, representing to him 
that I will take care to give a circumstantial account 
of this deed of arms ; and recommending to him the 
good conduct of all the generals, chiefs, officers, and 
soldiers under my orders, for sustaining so bloody a 
combat, which does honor to our arms, and exhibits 
their discipline." 



CHAPTER V. 

Resaca de la Palma. — The Battle Ccmmenced. — Character of the Mex- 
ican Troops. — May's Charge. — Capture of La Vega. — The Americans 
Victorious. — Lieutenant Lincoln's Heroic Conduct. — Incidents of the 
Engagement. — A Brave Corporal. — Colonel Mcintosh. — Mexican con- 
fidence of Victory. — Taylor's Official Account. — Particulars of May's 
Charge. — Notice of the Battle, 

Early on the morning of the 9th the enei:ny com- 
menced their retreat from Palo Alto, towards Fort 
Brown, the cavalry being the last to leave the ground. 
They continued to fall back upon that post until they 
advanced several miles, to Resaca de la Palma, a po- 
sition naturally very strong. At this point they had 
thrown up intrenchments and erected three batteries, 
so as completely to command the approach to Fort 
Brown. The road at the place w^here they had planted 
their batteries, crosses at right angles a ravine, which 
is about four rods w'ide, and four or five feet deep. 
The lowest part of it is usually filled with water, and 
m a wet season it forms a stagnant pond, which unites 
across the ridm forming the road, over which the Ame- 
rican army had to pass. On the side of the ravine 
occupied by the Mexicans is a dense growth of chappa- 
ral. The enemy v/as formed in double line, one in the 
ravine, under the front bank, and the other behind the 
wall of chapparal. They v/ere seven thousand strong, 
having been reinforced during the night, and strongly 
fortified, and skilfully posted. The narrow ridge of 



142 GENERAL TAYLOR's LINE OF BATTLE. 

road through the ravine, already referred to, which 
formed the only unobstructed approach to them, was 
perfectly commanded by their batteries. 

Soon after the enemy had withdrawn, General Tay- 
lor formed his army in line of battle and commenced 
his m^arch. He moved on until he reached the edge of 
the chapparal, where he halted, and ordered several 
companies to advance and reconnoitre the enemy and 
ascertain their position. While they were in the per- 
formance of this duty, Lieutenant J. E. Blake, who 
had been on duty the whole of the night previous, and 
was therefore nearly exhausted, dismounted for the 
purpose of obtaining a few moments' rest. He un- 
buckled his holsters and threw^ them on the ground, 
when, from some cause, one of the pistols exploded, the 
ball entering his body, and producing almost immediate 
death. 

Captain McCall, who had command of the recon- 
noitering forces, moved on until he reached Resaca de 
la Palma, when he Avas suddenly fired upon by one of 
the Mexican masked batteries, killing one of his men 
and wounding three others. General Taylor, upon 
receiving a message acquainting him with the facts, 
immediately ordered Lieutenant Ridgeley, with his 
battery, and the Third, Fourth, and Fifth infantry to 
engage the enemy's infantry. Captain Smith was 
ordered to the right and Captain McCall to the left, 
with instructions to bring on the engagement. Lieu- 
tenant Ridgeley immediately advanced, and when he 
had discovered the position of the enemy's batteries, 
he charged upon them at full speed, quickly followed 
by the Fifth regiment and a portion of the Fourth, the 
Third and remainder of the Fourth advancing towards 
the ravine on the enemy's left. In the meantime Cap- 



CHARACTER OF THE MEXICAN TPvOOF3. 143 

tain McCall had gallantly attacked their right. The 
Eighth regiment was also nov/ ordered to enter the 
engagement, which they did in gallant style, at double 
quick time. At the same time Lieutenant Ridgeley 
was hotly pressed by the enemy, but he poured in upon 
them such an overwhelming shower of grape and can- 
ister, that they could make no impression upon him. 
But for the fact of the enemy's shots going nearly all 
above the heads of his men, they would have been 
literally cut to pieces. He was supported by the Fifth 
regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Mcintosh ; the 
Third regiment, under the command of Captain L. N. 
Morris, and the Fourth, under Major Allen, scattered by 
the dense chapparal, were obliged to form in the ravine. 
The Eighth, under the command of Captain W. R. 
Montgomery, with Smith's Light and other corps, faced 
to the right. Duncan's battery was at the edge of the 
ravine, but he could not use it, as the only position from 
which the enemy conld be engaged, without galling our 
troops, was in possession of Ridgeley. 

The enemy fought with great valor and almost des- 
peration. They were the best troops in Mexico ; all 
veterans of many a hard contested field ; and they 
seemed to have resolved upon victory or death. The 
contest in the ravine, therefore, was long and bloody. 
The Mexicans contested every inch of ground, Vvith a 
bravery and determination that only the valor of Ame- 
rican soldiers could have overcome. But the deadly 
discharge of artillery and musketry, and the repeated 
charge of our troops, w^as too much for flesh and blood 
long to endure, and they now began to waver, and at 
last to give way. They were finally driven from the 
ravine, and our troops x)ccupied the position in it held 
by them at the beginning of the action. The infantry 



144 DRIVEN FROM THE RAVINE. 

had captured one of their guns, and they frequently- 
attempted to charge across the ravine, in the mean- 
Vi^hile keeping up upon our front ranks a murderous 
fire of artillery. But it was of no avail against the 
discipline and firmness of our gallant troops. They 
were equally resolved on victory, and had never con- 
templated any other result of the contest. 

The enemy still retaining their strongest positions, 
General Taylor saw that they must be dislodged, and 
the batteries taken. He therefore gave orders to Cap- 
tain May to take them at all events. May replied, " I 
will do it, sir," and immediately placing himself at the 
head of his dragoons, said, "men, follow me!" and 
dashed forward with lightning speed, his command 
rapidly upon his heels. As he was rushing on, he was 
stopped by the brave Ridgeley, wiio said to him, 
"wait, Charley, until I draw their fire," and at the 
same instant discharged his batteries upon the enemy. 
The discharge of their guns was almost simultaneously 
with Ridgeley 's. By this great presence of mind, and 
noble-hearted magnanimity, he saved May from a fire 
that must have made dreadful slaughter amongst his 
men, and drev/ the fire upon himself. There are but 
few instances of equal bravery and magnanimity on 
record. The instant Ridgeley had thus drawn upon 
himself the fire of the Mexican battery. May again 
dashed on in advance of his command, in spite of a 
most destructive fire, and cleared the enemy*s works 
at a bound, cutting down the gunners at their pieces. 
He was gallantly supported by his men, and the Mexi- 
cans were driven from their guns by their furious 
charge. They immediately rallied, however, and again 
got possession of them, May's command having scat- 
tered amongst the enemy. But he collected several of 



may's charge. 145 

them, and again charged the enemy. In this charge 
he captured General La Vega, while bravely fighting 
at the guns. He immediately surrendered to Captain 
May, and was carried to our lines in charge of Lieu- 
tenant Stevens. 

But though the battery had been silenced for the 
time, it was not captured. The enemy re-manned 
their guns, and were preparing to pour their deadly 
fxre again into our ranks. But the Fifth regiment, 
which had followed closely upon the heels of the dra- 
goons, now approached the battery, and charged the 
enemy up to the very cannon's mouth, the enemy and 
our soldiers contending hand to hand for the posses- 
sion of the works. The struggle w^as a fierce and 
bloody one, but the enemy w^ere cut down at their 
guns, or compelled to fly, and the battery was left in 
possession of the Americans. 

The enemy having thus been driven from their bat- 
teries, the Eighth regiment under Captain Montgomery, 
and the Fifth under Lieutenant-Colonel Mcintosh, 
charged the Mexicans up the ravine, amidst a destruc- 
tive fire from their right and front. Though vastly 
superior in numbers, the enemy w^ere compelled to re- 
treat after great slaughter, and were ultimately driven 
from the field. The battle was now nearly ended, and 
the victory v>'on. In every part of the field where the 
contending parties met, the enemy were defeated. 
Whether they were only equal in numbers to the 
Americans, or four to one, made no difterence — the re- 
sult was the same. On all sides they were compelled 
to give way before the superior discipline, courage, and 
physical strength of our troops. 

The further details of the action are supplied from 
** Our Army on the Rio Grande," the most minute and 



146 LIEUTENANT LINCOLn's HEROISM. 

interesting account of General Taylors's operations 
from the time he entered Texas to the capture of Mat- 
amoras, that has been pubhshed. During the progress 
of the action, Lieutenant Lincohi, of the Eighth regi- 
ment, made a charge on a body of Mexicans lodged in 
a thicket of chapparal, who were pouring a destructive 
fire upon his regiment as it advanced up the road. In 
the midst of the conflict, he saw Lieutenant Jordan, 
(who had personally charged the enemy,) wounded 
upon the ground, with a Mexican over him, in the act 
of running a bayonet through his body ; Lincoln sprang 
forward, and the Mexican faltering, in alarm, ran his 
bayonet through the arm, instead of the breast of Jor- 
dan. At the same instant, Lincoln cleft his skull. 
This gallant officer, with his sergeant, engaged in a 
conflict with others of the enemy, causing them to re- 
treat, after having slain three of them with their own 
hands. Lieutenant Chadbourne, also of the Eighth, 
after distinguishing himself for his bravery, in one of 
these skirmishes fell mortally wounded, at the head of 
his command. 

The third regiment, under the command of Captain 
L. N. Morris, and the Fourth, under JMajor Alien, 
were conspicuous for the spirit with which they en- 
tered the contest. These two corps gallantly rivalled 
each other in sharing the brilliant events of the day. 
They fearlessly charged through the densest chappa- 
ral ; and while Captain Morris, and the other officers 
of the Third, were overcoming what appeared to be 
insurmountable difficulties ; to meet the enemy, the 
Fourth came into the ravine, opposite an intrenchment 
supported by a piece of artillery, that poured a most 
galling fire into our ranks. Captain Buchanan, being 
senior officer nearest the point, collected some twenty- 



INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE. 147 

five or thirty men, and with Lieutenant Hays and 
Woods charged across the lagoon, knee and waist deep 
in water, and after a close-quarter conflict, routed the 
enemy. Lieutenant Hays distinguished himself by 
springing forward and seizing the leading mules at- 
tached to the piece, to prevent its being driven off, 
while Lieutenant Woods sprang to the handspikes, and 
turned it in such a direction as to lock one of the 
wheels against a tree. A large force of the enemy's 
cavalry suddenly charged upon these officers, but Cap- 
tain Barbour, of the third, came to the rescue, and wuth 
the point of the bayonet drove off the cavalry. Cor- 
poral Chisholm, of the Third infantry, shot the Mexi- 
can lieutenant-colonel wlio led the charge. As the 
officer fell, the corporal was seen to hand him his can- 
teen of water, and but a moment afterwards Chisholm 
was lying dead on his back, with a cartridge in his 
hand, and the bitten-ofi' end resting on his lips. 

Buchanan's party, along with portions of the Fifth 
regiment, then charged on the Mexican lines. In the 
excitement, Lieutenant-Colonel Mcintosh dashed on a 
wall of chapparal, although it was lined with infantry 
and cavalry. Under a galling fire he broke it down 
by repeated blows of his sword, and the weight of 
his horse. The instant he got through, his horse fell 
dead from under him ; Colonel Mcintosh sprang to his 
feel ; a crowd of Mexicans, armed with muskets and 
lan<;es, rushed upon him ; still he gallantly defended 
hirr/self A bayonet passed through his mouth and 
carae out below his ear ; seizing the weapon, he raised 
his sword to cut the fiend down who held it, when an- 
other bayonet passed through and terribly shattered his 
arm, and another still, through his hip ; borne down by 
superiority of force, he fell, and was literally pinned to 



148 FALL OF COLONEL M'INTOSH. 

the earth. The command of the Fifth now devolved 
upon Major Staniford, who conducted it vv^ith zeal and 
abihty to the^close of tlie engagement. 

After the first charge on the enemy's hnes had been 
made, Ridgeley v/as obhged to suspend his fire for fear 
of galHng his own troops. Duncan's battery had been 
idle, for want of a position to act v,dth any effect. Both 
batteries were now ordered across the ravine, supported 
by Captain C. F. Smith's light infantry, and Captain 
Ker's squadron of dragoons. Lieutenant Duncan 
came up ahead with his battery, Vv'hen the Fifth was 
engaged with the enemy, under a heavy fire from the 
opposite side of the lagoon that crossed the road. Here 
he met Colonel Mcintosh, and requested of him a 
party to support him, while he crossed the lagoon, and 
forced the enemy from their strong position. In the 
hurry of the moment Lieutenant Duncan did not per- 
ceive that Colonel Mcintosh was wounded. The Col- 
onel turned to Lieutenant Duncan, presenting a most 
terrible sight. The blood from some of his numerous 
wounds had clotted on his face, and he answered with 
difficulty, " I will give you the support you need." 
Lieutenant Duncan perceiving his situation, asked, 
with some emotion, " if he could be of any service to 
him ?" Colonel Mcintosh replied : " Yes ! give me 
some water, and show me my regiment." 

Lieutenants Woods and Hays, with a portion of the 
Fourth, pressed on, and came up with Leutenants 
Cochrane and Augur, with a few men of every regi- 
ment, w4ien, to their surprise, they found themselves in 
the head-quarters of General Arista. After taking pos- 
session of it, the party still kept up the road, until re- 
connoitred by a Mexican officer, who was seen riding 
very close. He was saluted with a discharge of mus- 



A BRAVE MEXICAN. 149 

ketiy, but he escaped unharmed. Again he was seen 
moving towards our party, and again he was fired upon, 
and ao-ain escaped. Undauntedly he moved on, held 
his ground, and received a volley of musketry, and 
most singularly he remained upon his horse, and rode 
off. A moment only elapsed, vvhen he returned with a 
squadron of lancers, charging like a whirlwind ; our sol- 
diers delivered their fire steadil}^ bringing one or two to 
the ground, and then fell back into the chapparal. Lieu- 
tenant Cochrane remained in the open space, and re- 
ceived the whole charge ; he nobly defended himself 
with his sword, but was crushed down, failing dead 
with seven lance wounds in his breast- 
All order of battle was now lost, yet the enemy, 
driven from their intrenehments, and without artillery, 
and v/ith their camp in our possession, still chivalrously, 
but unsuccessfully, disputed the onward march of our 
troops. 

The last Mexican flag that waved over the field had 
struck, the tri-color of the Tampico veterans, that had 
so gallantly shown itself on the Palo Alto, where it was 
torn by our artillery, and had been defended on the 
Resaca de la Palma, until the regiment to which it had 
belonged was literally destroyed, was torn from its staff 
by the gallant spirit that bore it ; concealing it about 
his person, when all hope was lost, he attempted to flee 
to his countrymen on the east of the Rio Grande. The 
poor standard-bearer, however, did not escape; rode 
down by our dragoons, he, with others, was taken pris- 
oner, and the flag of the Battalion Tampico, hangs a 
trophy in our national capitol. 

Both Duncan's and Ridgeley's batteries were opened 
on the retreating enemy, driving them from their last 
holds, and completely routing those who still lingered. 



150 MEXICAN CONFIDENCE OF VICTORY. 

Cavalry and infantry were seen in confused masses, 
flying in eveiy direction ; many rushing towards the 
Rio Grande. 

The camp of Arista told the perfect confidence he 
had in the strength of his arms. It was evide.it that 
not the least preparation had been made for a dtjfeat — 
no such thought had ever been indulged in. Arista 
brought with him into the field an unnecessary amount 
of baggage. His head-quarters w^ere just being ar- 
ranged ; his splendid marquee, his trunks, and private 
property were together, surrounded by pompously ar- 
ranged walls, comprising the military wealth of the 
army. There were stands of small- arms, ammunition 
boxes, hundreds and thousands of musket ball cartridges, 
and nearly five hundred splendid pack-saddles ; in short, 
almost an eastern prodigality of military equipage. 

In the camp of the army w^ere found the preparations 
for a great festival, no doubt to follow the expected vic- 
tory. The camp-kettles were simmering over the 
fires, filled with savory viands, from which our troops 
made a plentiful evening meal. In the road were car- 
casses of half-skinned oxen. The hangers-on of the 
camp, while the battle was raging, were busy in their 
feast-preparing work, unconscious of danger, when, on 
an instant, a sudden panic must have seized them, and 
they fled, leaving their half-completed labors to be con- 
summated by our own troops. Never, probably, in the 
history of war, had a more perfect consternation seiz-ed 
upon a defeated army, and seldom has one left such 
singularly eloquent memorials of the fact, as did the 
Mexicans at Resaca de la Palma. 

The detailed report of this brilliant action, so glori- 
ous'to the American arms, and reflecting so much honor 
upon our gallant army, is given below. However 



TAYLOR S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. 151 

minutely and correctly it may have been described, the 
account would be imperfect without the report of the 
commanding oiiicer. General Taylor seems to be 
everywhere and to see everything, and is therefore bet- 
ter prepared to give perfectly all the particulars of the 
engagement. He does it in this instance, as in ail oth- 
ers, with that rare combination of modesty and good 
sense, and it is marked by the same beauty and ele- 
gance of style, and clearness and perspicuity of expres- 
sion, that have distinguished all his dispatches : 

'■' Early on the morning of the 9th instant, the enemy 
who had encamped near the field of battle of the day 
previous, was discovered moving by his left flank, evi- 
dently in retreat ; and perhaps at the same time to gain 
a new position on the road to Matamoras, and there 
again resist our advance. 

'•' I ordered the supply train to be strongly parked at 
its position, and left with it four pieces of artillery — the 
two eighteen-pounders which had done such good ser- 
vice on the previous day — and two twelve-pounders 
which had not been in the action. The wounded offi- 
cers and men were at the same time sent back to Point 
Isabel. I then moved forward with the columns to the 
edge of the chapparal or forest, which extends to the 
Rio Grande, a distance of seven miles. The light com- 
panies of the first brigade, under Captain C. F. Smith, 
2d artillery, and a select detachment of light troops, the 
whole under the the command of Captain McCall, 4th 
infantry, were thrown forward into the chapparal, to 
feel the enemy and ascertain his position. About three 
o'clock, I received a report from the advance, that the 
enemy was in position on the road, with at least two 
pieces of artillery. The command was immediately 
put in motion, and at about four o'clock I came up 



152 CAPTURE OF LA VEGA. 

with Captain McCall, who reported the enemy in force 
in our front, occupying a ravine which intersects the 
road and is skirted by thickets of dense chapparal. 
Ridgeley's battery and the advance under Captain Mc- 
Call were at once thrown forward on the road, andiiit.o 
the chapparal on either side, while the 5th infantry and 
one wing of the 4th were thrown into the forest on the 
left, and the 3d and the other wing of the 4th, on the 
right of the road. These corps were employed as skir- 
mishers to cover the battery and engage the Mexican 
infantry. Captain McCall's command became at once 
engaged with the enemy, while the light artillery, though 
in a very exposed position, did great execution. The 
enemy had at least eight pieces of artillery, and main- 
tained an incessant fire upon our advance. 

" The action now became general, and although the 
enemy's infantry gave way before the steady fire and 
resistless progress of our own, yet his artillery was still 
in position to check our advance — several pieces occu- 
pying the pass across the ravine, which he had chosen 
for his position. Perceiving that no decisive advan- 
tage could be gained until this artillery was silenced, I 
ordered Captain May to charge the batteries with his 
squadron of dragoons. This was gallantly and effectu- 
ally executed : the enemy was driven from his guns, 
and Gen. La Vega, who remained alone at one of the 
batteries, was taken prisoner. The squadron, which 
suffered much in this charge, not being immediately 
supported by infantry, could not retain possession of 
the artillery taken, but it was completely silenced. In 
the meantime, the Eighth infantry had been ordered up, 
and had become warmly engaged on the right of the 
road. This regiment and a part of the Fifth, were now 
ordered to charge the batteries, which was handsomely 




C 2 



THE ENEMY RETREAT. 155 

done, and the enemy driven from his artillery, and his 
position on the left of the road. 

" The light companies of the First brigade, and the 
Third and Fourth regiments of infantry, had been de- 
ployed on the right of the road, where, at various points, 
they became briskly engaged with the enemy. A small 
party under Captain Buchanan and Lieutenants Wood 
and Hays, Fourth infantry, composed chiefly of men of 
that regiment, drove the enemy from a breastwork 
which he occupied, and captured a piece of artillery. 
An attempt to recover this piece was repelled by Cap- 
tain Barbour, Third infantry. The enemy was at last 
completely driven from his position on the right of the 
road, and retreated precipitately, leaving baggage of 
every description. The Fourth infantry took posses- 
sion of a camp where the headquarters of the Mexican 
general-in-chief were established. All his official cor- 
respondence was captured at this place. 

" The artillery battalion (excepting the flank compa- 
nies) had been ordered to guard the baggage train, 
which was parked some distance in rear. The bat- 
talion was now ordered up to pursue the enemy, and 
with the Third infantry, Captain Ker's dragoons, and 
Captain Duncan's battery, followed him rapidly to the 
river, making a number of prisoners. Great numbers 
of the enemy were drowned in attempting to cross the 
river near the town. The corps last mentioned en- 
camped near the river ; the remainder of the army on 
the field of battle. 

" The strength of our marching lorce on this day, as 
exhibited in the annexed field report, was one hundred 
and seventy-three officers, and two thousand and forty- 
nine men — aggregate, two thousand two hundred and 
twenty-two. The actual number engaged with the 



156 AMERICAN LOSS. 

enemy did not exceed one thousand and seven hundred. 
Our loss was three officers killed and twelve wounded ; 
thirty-six men killed and seventy-one wounded. Among 
the officers killed, I have to regret the loss of Lieuten- 
ant Inge, second dragoons, who fell at the head of his 
platoon, while gallantly charging the enemy's battery ; 
of Lieutenant Cochrane, of the Fourth, and Lieutenant 
Chadbourne, of the Eighth infantry, who likewise met 
their death in the thickest of the fight. The officers 
wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Payne, inspector 
general; Lieutenant Dobbins, Third infantry, serving 
with the light infantry advance, slightly ; Lieutenant- 
Colonel Mcintosh, Fifth infantry, severely (twice) ; 
Captain Hooe, Fifth infantry, severely (right arm since 
amputated) ; Lieutenant Fowler, Fifth infantry, slightly; 
Captain Montgomery, Eighth infantry, slightly ; Lieu- 
tenants Gates and Jordan, Eighth infantry, severely 
(each twice) ; Lieutenants Seiden, Maclay, Burbank, 
and Morris, Eighth infantry, slightly. A statement of 
the killed and wounded is annexed herewith. 

" I have no accurate data from which to estimate 
the enemy's force on this day. He is known to have 
been reinforced after the action of the 8th, both by 
cavalry and infantry, and no doubt to an extent at least 
equal to his loss on that day. It is probable that six 
thousand men were opposed to us, and in a position 
chosen by themselves, and strongly defended with ar- 
tillery. The enemy's loss was very great. Nearly two 
hundred of his dead were buried by us on the day suc- 
ceeding the battle. His loss in killed, wounded, and 
missing, in the two affairs of the 8th and 9th, is, I think, 
moderately estimated at one thousand men. 

" Our victory has been decisive. A small force has 
overcome immense odds of the best troops that Mexico 



THE CAUSES OF OUR SUCCESS. 157 

can furnish — veteran regiments perfectly equipped and 
appointed. Eight pieces of artillery, several colors and 
standards, a great number of prisoners, including four- 
teen officers, and a large amount of baggage and public 
property have fallen into our hands. 

" The causes of victory are doubtless to be found in 
the superior quality of our officers and men. I have 
already, in former reports, paid a general tribute to the 
admirable conduct of the troops on both days. It now 
becomes my duty — and I feel it to be one of great deli- 
cacy — to notice individuals. In so extensive a field as 
that of the 8th, and in the dense cover where most of 
the action of the 9th was fought, I could not possibly 
be witness to more than a small portion of the opera- 
tions of the various corps ; and I must, therefore, de- 
pend upon the reports of subordinate commanders, 
which I respectfully inclose herewith. 

" Colonel Twiggs, the second in command, was par- 
ticularly active on both days in executing my orders, 
and directing the operations of the right wing. Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Mcintosh, commanding the Fifth in- 
fantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Garland, commanding the 
Third brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Belknap, command- 
ing the First brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Childs, com- 
manding the artillery battalion. Major Allen, Captains 
L. N. Morris and Montgomery, commanding respec- 
tively the Fourth, Third, and Eighth regiments of in- 
fantry, were zealous in the performance of their duties ; 
and gave examples to their commands of cool and fear- 
less conduct. Lieutenant-Colonel Mcintosh repulsed 
with his regiment a charge of lancers in the action of 
Palo Alto, and shared with it in the honors and dangers 
of the following day, being twice severely wounded. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Belknap headed a charge of the 



158 INSTANCES OF INDIVIDUAL GALLANTRY. 

Eighth infantry, which resulted in driving the enemy 
from his guns, and leaving us in possession of that part 
of the field. 

" Captain Duncan and Lieutenant Ridgeley deserve 
especial notice for the gallant and efficient manner in 
which they manoeuvred and served their batteries. 
The impression made by Captain Duncan's battery 
upon the extrem-e right of the enemy's line, at the 
affair of Palo Alto, contributed largely to the result of 
the day ; while the teiTible fire kept up by Lieutenant 
Ridgeley, in the affair of the 9th, inflicted heavy losses 
upon the enemy. The eighteen-pounder battery, which 
played a conspicuous part in the action of the 8th, was 
admirably served by Lieutenant Churchill, Third artil- 
lery, assisted by Lieutenant Wood, topographical en- 
gineers. The charge of cavalry on the enemy's 
batteries on the 9th, was gallantly led by Captain May 
and had complete success. 

"Captain McCall, Fourth infantry, rendered distin- 
guished service Vvith the advanced corps under his 
orders. Its loss, in killed and wounded, will show how 
closely it was engaged. I may take this occasion to 
say that, in two former instances. Captain McCall has 
rendered valuable service as a partisan officer. In this 
connection, I would mention the services of Captain 
Walker, of the Texan Rangers, who was in both affairs 
with his company, and who has performed very meri- 
torious service as a spy and partisan. 

'* I must beg leave to refer to the reports of subor- 
dinate commanders for the names of many officers, 
non-commissioned officers and privates, who were dis- 
tinguished for good conduct on both days. Instances 
of individual gallantry and personal conflict with the 
enemy were not wanting in the affair of the 9th, but 



GOOD CONDUCT OF THE OFFICERS. 159 

cannot find place in a general report. The officers 
serving in the staffs of the difierent commanders, are 
particularly mentioned by them. 

" I derived efficient aid on both days from all the 
officers of my staffi Captain Bliss, assistant adjutant- 
general, Lieutenant-Colonel Payne, inspector-general, 
Lieutenant Eaton, A. D. C, Captain Waggaman, com- 
missary of subsistence, Lieutenant Scarret, engineer, 
and Lieutenants Blake and Meade, topographical en- 
gineers, promptly conveyed my orders to every part of 
the field. Lieutenant-Colonel Payne was vi'ounded in 
the affair of the 9th, and I have already had occasion 
to report the melancholy death of Lieutenant Blake, 
by accident, in the interval between the two engage- 
ments. Major Craig and Lieutenant Brereton, of the 
ordnance department, were actively engaged in their 
appropriate duties, and Surgeon Craig, medical direc- 
tor, superintended in person the arduous service of the 
field-hospitals. I take this occasion to mention gen- 
erally the devotion to duty of the medical staff of the 
army, who have been untiring _in their exertions both 
in the field and in the hospitals, to alleviate the suffer- 
ings of the wounded of both armies. Captains Cross- 
man and Myres of the quartermaster's department, 
who had charge of the heavy supply-train at both en- 
gagements, conducted it in a most satisfactory manner, 
and finally brought it up without the smallest loss, to 
its destination. 

" I inclose an inventor}^ of the Mexican property 
captured on the field, and also a sketch of the field of 
' Resaca de la Palma,' and of the route from Point 
Isabel, made by my aide-de-camp. Lieutenant Eaton. 
One regimental color, (battalion of Tampico,) and 
many standards and guidons of cavalry were taken at 
7* 



160 DETAILS OF MAy's CHARGE. 

the affair of the 9th. I would be pleased to receive 
your instructions as to the disposition to be made of 
these trophies — whether they shall be sent to Washing- 
ton, &c." 

There is no incident connected with this brillfunt 
action that has created so much admiration throughout 
the country, and which, in reality, displayed such 
daring courage, as the charge of Captain May upon 
the Mexican batteries. Though this bold and hazardous 
achievement has already been incidentally referred to, 
it is believed the following more detailed account, by 
an eye witness and actor in the charge, will possess 
interest. It is by Sergeant Milton, an officer of May's 
dragoons : 

" At Palo Alto," says he, " I took my rank in the 
troop as second sergeant, and while upon the field my 
horse was wounded in the jaw by a grape-shot, which 
disabled him for service. While he was plunging in 
agony I dismounted, and the quick eye of Captain May 
observed me as I alighted from my horse. He inquired 
if I was hurt. I answered no — that my horse was the 
sufferer. ' I am glad it is not yourself,' replied he ; 
' there is another,' (pointing at the same time to a 
steed without a rider, which was -standing with dilated 
eye, gazing at the strife,) ' mount hirn.' I approached 
the horse, and he stood still until I put my hand upon 
the rein and patted his neck, when he rubbed his head 
alongside of me, as if pleased that some human being 
was about to become his companion in the affray. He 
was a noble bay, v^'hich had, with a number of others, 
been purchased for the troop in St. Louis. I bestrode 
him, and we passed through the first day unharmed. 

" On the second day, at Resaca de la Paima, our 
troop stood anxiously waiting for the signal to be 



DETAIL OF MAY S CHARGE. 161 

given, and never had I looked upon men on whose 
countenances were more clearly expressed a fixed de- 
termination to win. The lips of some were pale with 
excitement, and their eyes v/ore that fixed expression 
which betokens mischief; others, with shut teeth, 
would quietly laugh, and catch a tighter grip of the 
rein, or seat themselves with care and firmness in the 
saddle, while quiet words of confidence and encourage- 
ment were passed from each to his neighbor. All at 
once Captain May rode to the front of his troop — 
every rein and sabre was tightly grasped. Raising 
hmiseif and pointing at the battery, he shouted, ' Men, 
foUow I' There was now a clattering of hoofs and a 
ratftling of sabre sheaths — the fire of the enemy's guns 
was partly drawn by Lieutenant Ridgeley, and the next 
moment we vv^ere sweeping like the v/ind up the ravine. 
I was in a squad of about nine men, who were sep- 
arated by a shower of grape from the battery, and we 
were in advance. May leading. He turned his horse 
opposite the breastwork, in front of the guns, and 
with another shout ' to follow,' leaped over them. 
Several of the horses did follow, but mine, being new 
and not well trained, refused ; two others balked, and 
their riders started down the ravine to turn the breast- 
work where the rest of the troop had entered. I made 
another attempt to clear the guns with my horse, turn- 
ing him around — feeling all the time secure at thinking 
the guns discharged — I put his head towards them and 
gave him spur, but he again balked ; so turning his 
head down the ravine, I too started to ride round the 
breastwork. 

" As I came down a lancer dashed at me with lance 
in rest. With my sabre I parried his thrust, only re- 
ceiving a slight flesh-wound from its point in the arm, 



162 AN AWKWARD FOSITION. 

which felt at the time like the prick of a pin. The 
lancer turned and fled ; at that moment a ball passed 
through my horse on the left side and shattered my 
right side. The shot killed the horse instantly, and he 
fell upon my left leg, fastening me by his weight to the 
earth. There I lay, right in the midst of the action, 
where carnage was riding riot, and every moment the 
shot, from our own and the IMexican guns, tearing up 
the earth around me. I tried to raise my horse so as 
to extricate my leg, but I had already grow^n so weak 
with my wound that I Vv^as unable, and from the mere 
attempt, I fell back exhausted. To add to my horror, 
a horse, who was careering about, riderless, within a 
few yards of me, received a wound, and he commenced 
struggling and rearing with pain. Two or three times, 
he came near falhng on me, but at length, with a scream 
of agony and a bound, he fell dead — his body touching 
my own fallen steed. What I had been in momentary 
dread of now occurred — my wounded limb, which was 
lying across the horse, received another ball in the 
ankle. 

" I now felt disposed to give up ; and, exhausted 
through pain and excitement, a film gathered over my 
eyes, which I thought was the precursor of dissolution 
From this hopeless state I was aroused by a woundec 
Mexican, calling out to me, ' Bueno Americano' and 
turning my eyes tovv^ards the spot, I saw that he was 
holding a certificate and calling to me. The tide of 
action now rolled away from me, and hope again sprung 
up. The Mexican uniforms began to disappear from 
the chapparal, and squadrons of our troops passed in 
sight, apparently in pursuit. While I was thus nursing 
the prospect of escape, I beheld, not far from me, a vil- 
lanouS'looking ranchero, armed with an American ser- 



REVIEW OF T.IE ACTIONS. 163 

geant*s short sword, dispatching a wounded A.merican 
soldier, whose body he robbed — the next he came to 
was a Mexican, whom he served the same way, and 
thus I looked on while he murderously slew four. I 
drew an undischarged pistol from my holsters, and, 
laying myself along my horse's neck, watched him, ex- 
pecting to be the next victim ; but something fright- 
ened him from his vulture-like business, and he fled in 
another direction. I need not say that had he visited 
me I should have taken one more shot at the enemy, 
and would have died content, had I succeeded in mak- 
ing such an assassin bite the dust. Two hours after, 
I had the pleasure of shaking some of my comrades by 
the hand, who v/ere picking up the wounded. They 
lifted my Mexican friend, too, and I am pleased to say 
he, as well as myself, live to fight over again the san- 
guine fray of Resaca ds la Palnia." 

The splendid victories of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma were received with unbounded enthusiasm in 
every part of the Union. Fought against such over- 
whelming odds as they were, they were looked upon, 
not only by military men in this country, but by com- 
petent and not over partial judges in Europe, as evin- 
cing the very highest order of military genius in the 
commander-in-chief, and great courage and disciphne 
in his soldiers. No actions, in modern times, were ever 
fought under such disadvantages of numbers and posi- 
tion, as those under which General Taylor labored 
in these two engagements, with such decisive results. 
The following notice of these actions, from a gentle- 
man formerly attached to the army, will give a correct 
view of the character of the victories, besides possess- 
ing interest to all classes of readers : 

•' General Taylor, in his peculiarly modest manner. 



164 LOSS OF THE MEXICAN ARMY. 

says : * It is probable that six thousand men were op- 
posed to us, and in a position selected by themselves, 
and strongly defended with artillery.' The whole 
tenor of the general's dispatches, proves an anxious 
desire not to overrate the numbers opposed to him or 
the character of his victories ; and the concurrent tes- 
timony of the officers of both armies, leaves no question 
that, on the 9th of May, the enemy had actually en- 
gaged upwards of seven thousand troops, or more than 
four times the number opposed to them ; and it is 
equally certain, that their loss greatly exceeded in 
killed, wounded and missing, one thousand. General 
Taylor accounts for four hundred buried by our troops 
in the two actions ; and Colonel Twiggs in a letter 
now before us says, ' we found in the hospitals at Mata- 
moras three hundred and eighty-two wounded soldiers 
and several officers, and very many wounded accom- 
panied the retreating army.' This, it must be borne 
in mind, was on the 18th of May — nine days after the 
battle ; and an officer writes that the number buried at 
Matamoras between the 9th and 18th must have been 
several hundred. Our conviction is, that in the two 
engagements the enemy's loss was nearer two than one 
thousand ; and this fact is very material, as demonstrat- 
ing the character of the Mexican troops, and proving 
that an army seldom fought better. They did not 
retreat on the night of the 8th, nor even on the 9th, 
until at least one-seventh of their whole army had been 
either killed or wounded ; or, in other words, until our 
army had rendered hors du combat a number exceed- 
ing one half of its whole force. 

" These facts prove that the Mexicans fought bravely. 
It is admitted on all hands that they were admirably 
disciplined, the flower of the Mexican army — and com- 



CHARACTER OF THE MEXICAN TROOPS. 165 

posed of officers and men who had been engaged in 
battle after battle, and had nobly earned for themselves 
the title of veterans. This army, commanded, as has 
been said, by one of the most gallant and accomplished 
artillery officers of the age, (Arista,) selected its posi- 
tion, and arranged at leisure its line of defence, com- 
posed of three batteries of artillery, supported by 
five thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry— 
whose boast is, that they are the best cavalry in the 
world ; and that they are brave, daring, and the best 
horsemen on the continent is fully admitted. Thus 
posted, this army is assailed by the American army 
only one-fourth as strong. General Taylor reports that 
Its artillery, with the exception of Ringgold's and Dun- 
can^s eight pieces of light artillery, was parked with 
his immense baggage train and provisions a great dis- 
tance in the rear, and was only employed in pursuing 
the enemy after he had been completely routed. Thus 
then, the naked fact is presented to the consideration 
of the country, that our army attacked the Mexicans 
* strongly posted in a position selected by themselves.' 
The forces thus posted and assailed, were composed of 
veterans, disciplined troops, /oz^r times as numerous as 
their assailants, with a heavier train of artillery, and 
nearly five times as many cavalry! They fought 
bravely for three hours ; lost one-seventh of their whole 
number ; and then were literally dispersed by the hayo. 
nets of our troops— throwing their muskets at our nien 
in the spirit of desperation, swearing that they vvere 
devils incarnate ! 

" Such was the battle of Resaca de la Palma, and 
such, too, was tha ; of Palo AJto on the day preceding 
it. To judge of this achievement and compare it with 
European battles, we need only ask ourselves, on what 



166 IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE. 

occasion have eighty thousand disciplined troops 
strongly posted, in a position selected by themselves, 
been driven from that position, routed and cut to 
pieces, by twenty thousand ? When and where did 
any army thus conquer, rout and completely disperse, 
four times its number of brave and disciplined troops, 
who fought in a manner which, under ordinary circum- 
stances, entitled them to victory ? When such affairs 
can be found in modern history, we will yield to them 
the palm. But we know that there are no such battles 
on record ; and we desire to impress upon our country- 
men, that our little army, under General Taylor, has 
achieved for itself a reputation, such as no other army 
has ever won in modern times, and the scene of which 
will hereafter be referred to as another Thermopylae. 

" Now a few words as to the causes which produced 
these two victories. We said on the 12th of May, 
when apprehensions were very general for the fate of 
our army, we felt very certain, that before that day, 
General Taylor had met and dispersed the entire force 
of the enemy, if it was not mot^e than four times as 
great as his own ! We said that this opinion was 
based upon a knowledge, that no disciplined troops 
ever yet abandoned their officers ; that we knew our 
old comrades well, knew of what material they were 
composed — what West Point had made them — and 
that they would never yield or retreat. We knew that 
every officer in that little army was prepared for vic- 
tory or death; and that such being the case, and 
knowing their men were disciplined and would certainly 
stand by them, we felt that victory was inevitable, 
unless the opposing force was so great as to forbid its 
possibility ; in which case our whole army would be 
cut to pieces — selling their lives dearly, but never 



POSITION OF OFFICERS IN BATTLE. 167 

yielding. And such, too, would have been their con- 
duct, and such the result of this aifair, if the opposing 
force had been English instead of Mexican. 

" To this gallantry and determination on the part of 
our officers, we are indebted for the glorious achieve- 
ments of the 8th and 9th of May ; and an examination 
into the killed and wounded, very certainly demon- 
strates this fact. When in order of battle, the officers 
are always posted with a view to their greater security, 
as they are required to conduct the battle. Thus the 
company officers are immediately in the rear of their 
men in line of battle, and the field and staff, still further 
in the rear ; and it is admitted to be a sound calcula- 
tion, that when the proportion of officers to the rank 
and file is as one to twenty, the proportion of killed 
and wounded should be one officer to every forty of 
the rank and file, owing to the greater security of their 
position, intended to preserve their lives. Now let us 
apply this calculation to the battle of Resaca de la 
Palma. 

"In that ever memorable affair, the proportion of 
officers to the rank and file, was as one to thirteen ; 
and therefore, according to European calculation, the 
proportion of killed and wounded, should have been 
one to twenty-six. Now what are the facts? The 
total of killed and wounded is one hundred and twenty- 
two, of whom fifteen were commissioned officers, or 
one out of every eisi;ht I 

" Here, in a few words, the coiuitry has the means 
of determining how it was that seventeen hundred 
American troops drove from their selected position, 
defeated and utterly routed, four times their number 
of disciplined Mexican cavalry, artillery, and infantry ! 
Here is the true cause of the victories of the 8th and 



16S CHARACTER OF THE EATTLE3. 

9th of May, being the most wonderful in the history 
of modern warfare. Our officers fought in front of 
their men. They hterally led them to the cannon's 
mouth ; and as the history of these battles proves, when 
their swords were useless, threw them away, picked up 
the muskets and accoutrements of those who had 
fallen, and with these, set their men an example of 
coolness and daring which made every private in the 
little army feel himself a hero. When officers thus 
lead their men up to the very mouths of the enemy's 
cannon ; when sword in hand, or with the bayonet, 
they drive the enemy from their guns, and then them- 
selves perform the work of gunners ; w^hen for hours, 
as was the case in our flying artillery, the officers 
helped Avork the guns, and in some cases did the duty 
of three privates — victory is certain — inevitable. 

" Such was the character of the battles of the 8th 
and 9th May — such the manner in which they were 
won — and such the conduct of such officers. Under 
such circumstances, our whole army might have been 
destroyed ; but if not, then was victory absolutely cer- 
tain. We care not how exalted the character of the 
troops opposed to them, or to what nation they belonged, 
in this, their first fight after years of peace and the 
taunts of members of Congress, it was morally and 
physically impossible to resist them. Honor — unfading 
and perpetual honor — to General Taylor, the gallant 
officers who so nobly sustained him, and to the army 
of heroes they led to victory on the 8th and 9th of 
May, 1848; and most fortunate for them and for the 
country was it, that we had no undisciplined volunteers 
or militia in those battles. We doubt not their cour- 
age ; but no undisciplined troops could have fought 
those fights. It would have been morally impossible 



EUROPEAN OPINION OF THE ACTIONS. 169 

for any such to have withstood the fire of the enemy 
on those days and do what was required of our soldiers 
and officers ; and had there been any faltering— had a 
single battalion given way, as they most assuredly 
would — the enemy would have been encouraged to 
persevere, and our whole army might have been anni- 
hilated and cut to pieces. Never was the value of 
disciplined men more triumphantly demonstrated than 
on these glorious occasions ; and since we have learned 
that General Taylor compels the volunteers with him 
to receive six hours' drilling per day, and relieves them 
from all other duties, to make soldiers of them, we 
venture to predict that they, too, when they meet the 
enemy, will add to the reputation of our arms. ' Rough 
and Ready' will first make them soldiers, and then wdn 
victories with them." 

The London Herald remarks : " The proceedings of 
the soldiers under General Taylor have been such as 
to do honor to the Republic. The little army, amount- 
to but a handful of men, at a distance of thousands of 
miles from any available succor, has defended itself 
against superior numbers, and at length has crossed the 
Rio Grande, and took possession of Matamoras, almost 
in sight of an opposing enemy — an exploit which Na- 
poleon has pronounced to be the perfection of generaU 
ship." 

It is not easy to imagine the painful solicitude and 
anxiety that prevailed at Fort Brown during the actions 
of the"^ 8th and 9th. Although within sound of the 
firing, the result of the contest was, of course, for many 
hours in doubt, however strong their confidence was 
that victory would, in the end, crov/n the American 
arms. But if they were in painful doubt as to the fate 
of the contest in which they knew their brothers in 



170 ANXIETY AT FORT BROWN. 

arms were engaged, without being able to aid them in 
the struggle, they were left in comparative quiet by 
the Mexicans during the memorable two days, and 
had time to repair the damages done to the fort by the 
bombardment to which they had so long been subject ; 
and, accordingly, on the morning of the 9th, their first 
act was to raise the national flag. The history of the 
events during the action are resumed from " Our Army 
on the Rio Grande.'' On the 8th, continues this work, 
the halyards had become unrigged, at a time when 
the firing from the enemy was too intense to establish 
them, the staff' at that time being outside of the fort. 
To meet this difficulty, the regimental colors were 
raised on a temporary substitute, erected on the para- 
pets. An officer of the Seventh succeeded in lower- 
ing the topmast of the staff", and rigging the halyards. 
While engaged in this patriotic duty, the enemy opened 
on him from all their batteries, with round shot and 
shell, amidst which he coolly labored for fifteen or 
twenty minutes. Finding he was not strong enough 
to elevate the topmast to its proper place, he lashed it 
in its position, and gave the stars and stripes to the 
breeze. 

At 10 o'clock, a sergeant and ten men went out, and 
set fire to the rancho, known by Arista's dispatches as 
the Fanques del Raminero, the buildings of which had 
been successively occupied by our own and the ene- 
my's pickets. This act brought forth a heavy dis- 
charge of shell, canister, and round shot, which con- 
tinued at intervals for about four hours. 

Major Brown, since his wound had lingered on, his 
friends bestowing on him every attention that the cir- 
cumstances would admit : he bore his sufferings with 
the greatest fortitude, and whenever he spoke, he urged 



A PAINFUL DILEMMA. 171 

his men to do their duty, and never surrender the fort 
It was necessary that he should be placed in one of the 
bomb-proofs, to protect him from the missiles of the 
enemy : the weather was exceedingly warm, and the 
air in the bomb-proof necessarily close ; this circum- 
stance perhaps, joined with the aggravated nature of 
his wounds, hastened his death. He gradually sunk, 
and at two o'clock peacefully breathed his last. At 
the time of his death, everything around the fort was 
perfectly still; the soldiers around the dying man 
seemed scarcely to breathe, lest they should intrude 
upon his parting spirit; nor was the silence broken, 
until Ridgeley opened his batteries upon Resaca de la 
Palma. 

No language can describe the intense interest with 
which the raging battle was listened to : each man was 
at his post, and every booming gun called forth an 
almost agonizing interest to learn its nationality and 
effects. Meanwhile the bombardment opened simul- 
taneously with the firing on the field, and continued to 
increase with unprecedented severity ; but it was not 
to the batteries of the Mexicans that attention was di- 
rected. Our eighteen-pounders were occasionally fired, 
to let General Taylor know that all was still well in 
the fort. The firing on the battle-field was now grow- 
ing less and less powerful, and the discharges were be 
coming irregular. " They have charged on the guns !' 
shouted one of the officers ; another, and another was 
silenced. " They have carried them !" shouted anothe.r 
in uncontrollable ecstasy. All cannonading ceased; 
volleys of musketry were next heard, then all was still. 
How eloquently the silence spoke of the hand-to-hand 
conflict, and how the blood in the hearts of these brave 
men went and came, from excitement to be engaged 



172 THE NEWS OF VICTORY. 

in it ! The victorious result of our arms was now al- 
most certain. General Taylor and his brave men 
would either conquer or die. No bells were now ring- 
ing in Matamoras, and the noisy music, that was wont 
to belabor the air, had been silenced since the evening 
of the 8th. This, to the heroes of the fort, was full of 
meaning, and the tale was soon told. At a little before 
six, a confused rush of cavalry and straggling infantry 
towards the Rio Grande, announced the victory of the 
Americans, at sight of which, an officer of the Seventh 
jumped upon the parapet, beside the regimental flag- 
staff, and gave three cheers, which were responded to 
so loudly and heartily by all in the fort, that they si- 
lenced the enemy's batteries, for from that moment 
tliey ceased firing. The news had reached Matamoras 
that to Mexico the day was lost. 

The distance from Resaca de la Palma to the river, 
is about four miles. Beyond the battle-ground the road 
forks, leading to both the upper and lower ferries, be- 
tween which is situated Fort Brown. The country 
here is more broken, and the chapparal of stronger and 
denser growth than in the interior. Into these intricate 
thickets a majority of the Mexicans fled after the rout 
became general ; hundreds and thousands of troops 
here buried themselves, waiting for the veil of night to 
aid them in their escape. Along the road, however, 
great numbers swept, " fear lending them wings." In 
this flight the slightly wounded infantry fell exhausted ; 
norses that had been shot, but able to maintain their 
feet until put at full speed, rolled on the earth, carry- 
ing their riders v/ith them. The soldiers stripped them- 
selves of every encumbrance ; they threw away their 
muskets, cartridge-boxes, their military cloaks, with 
everything calculated to retard their speed, plainly mark- 



FLIGHT OF THE DEFEATED. 173 

ing their route by the abandoned articles. Squadrons 
of cavahy, finding their movements impeded by the in- 
fantry, rode over, without scruple, those whom the fate 
of war had spared. Our troops pursued ; but their 
arms lost their force when directed against troops of 
defenceless beings, or individuals fleeing before a vic- 
torious foe. 

One of the " eighteens" in the fort was now turned 
towards the upper ferry, sending a shower of grape 
among the fleeing hundreds. As our pursuing columns 
debouched from the chapparal that surrounds Fort 
Brown, and saw the flag of our country still waving in 
triumph from its ramparts, they raised to the glory of 
its defenders, a shout that made the welkin ring, and it 
was sent back from the fort until cheer answering 
cheer, reverberated along the valley of the Rio Grande. 
The want of a sufficient number of dragoons made if 
impossible immediately to extend our lines so as to cut 
ofl* the enemy's retreat, and General Taylor, deficient 
in Rieans to cross the river with rapidity and force, 
had made no previous arrangements to attempt so 
desirable a consummation of his victory. With the 
approach of night all offensive measures on our part 
ceased. 

A part of our pursuing troops, including May's 
command, having drunk of the water of the Rio 
Grande, fell back to the battle-ground, where they, 
with the main army, bivouacked for the night. Dun- 
can's and Ridgeley's commands, Lieutenant-Colone 
Childs' battalion. Captain Ker's dragoons, together 
with Captain C. F. Smith's command, bivouacked on 
the banks of the river, many upon the same ground 
they had left nine days before. 

Throughout both battles, the Mexicans had kept up 



174 TERROR OF THE MEXICAN'S. 

a constant communication with Matamoras by means 
of a secret crossing above the upper ferry. By this 
they had sent over their wounded, and brought over 
their reinforcements as the contest thickened. They 
forced the poor wa'etches into sacks slung across the 
backs of mules, and thus the agony of their wounds 
-increasing at every step, they were conveyed to that 
city they had hoped to enter so proudly as victors. 

When Captain May made his charge, many of the 
soldiers in the rear of the Mexican army abandoned 
their ranks and fled ; and the rancheros, who had hung 
about as vultures waiting for prey, finding that our 
train was not likely to fall into their hands, rushed into 
the camp of their own countrymen, robbed it of what- 
ever loose valuables they could find, then scattered 
over the country and disappeared. Colonel Curasco, 
the "bull-dog," so called, of the Mexican arm}^ was 
the first ofiicer that fled. Early in the contest he 
crossed to the east of the Rio Grande, and secreted 
himself in the suburbs of the town. After our troops 
charged, and took the batteries, General Ampudia also 
sought safety in flight, and was the first man that 
appeared in Matamoras after the defeat of the army. 
Mad with terror, and exhausted by his narrow escape 
from being drowned while crossing the river, he en- 
tered the Plaza, and circled it several times uncon- 
scious of what he w^as doing, until his senses w^ere 
recalled by his wondering countrymen, who learned 
Arista's total defeat, as Ampudia exclaimed, "All is 
lost!" 

At their secret crossing the Mexicans had but one 
flat, which was entirely insufficient for the numbers 
who now, in terror, sought the river. While the flat 
swarmed with infantry, the cavalry would charge, and, 



A DREADFUL SCENE. 175 

filling the flat, drive the wretches who had occupied it 
into the river. The water was covered wdth the 
miserable beings who, confused and desperate, plunged 
about in the waves, calling on God to help them, or 
venting their impotent maledictions upon those who 
had forced them to a watery grave. They sunk by 
scores, clutching each other in the agonies of death ; 
and the " mad river" fairly boiled witli the expiring 
breath of those who had sunken under its dark wave ! 

In the midst of the panic Father Leary arrived at 
the bank, and by his presence restored order, in a cer- 
tain degree, among the fugitives. He took his place 
on the flat, already crowded with troops. It was about 
shoving off, when down the bank swept a flying 
column of cavalry. Goaded by their riders, the steeds 
madly leaped into the boats, crushing to death scores 
of their victims, and driving the remainder into the 
river; the holy father raised his crucifix above his 
head, muttered an ejacuiatory prayer, and disappeared 
with the mass of his fellow-beings under the waves. 

Nothing could exceed the consternation that reigned 
in Matamoras on the night of the 9th. Between four 
and five thousand lawless soldiers were wandering, 
panic struck, about the streets. The chagrined and 
discomfited ofificers, formed into cabals, and speculated 
upon the causes of their inglorious defeat. Meanwhile 
Ampudia was endeavoring to prove his own bravery 
by secretly denouncing Arista, and declaring, that, had 
he been commander-in-chief, he would have swept the 
Americans from off' the face of the earth. 

The night was made hideous by the constant arrival 

of the wounded in sacks ; many yelled like fiends, as 

the rough carriage, and contracted form, started afresh 

their bleeding wounds ; others were found dead in their 

8 



170 A COWARDLY MEXICAN GENERAL. 

sacks, having been drowned while crossing the rivei 
on swimming mules. The women of the city rushed 
to the ball-rooms, and tore down the festoons prepared 
for the great festival, to be given in honor of their 
victorious arms. They tore off and stamped upon 
their gay apparel, and mingled their cries of v/ild des- 
pair with those of the wounded. 

The more substantial citizens hurriedly gathered 
together their effects and fled into the country ; many 
of these fell by the hands of unorganized troops, and 
their property was divided among the murderers. 
Hundreds of soldiers were scattered over the country, 
who pillaged all within their reach, and attacked the 
defenceless that came in their way. Social, civil, and 
military order were scattered to the winds, — dark 
crime, and unbridled passion rioted in the confusion 
that followed this terrible defeat. 

General Taylor's first care, after having the wounds 
of the living, both American and Mexican, properly 
attended to, w^as to perform the last sad rites for the 
dead of the two armies. His humanity to the enemy 
on the occasion reflects even more honor upon him 
than his coolness, courage and skill in battle. The 
same care was shown by him in every instance, for 
the suffering Mexican as for the American soldier. 
In the retreat the Mexican generals left all their dead 
and most of their wounded on the field of battle, either 
from confidence in the humane character of General 
Taylor, or out of a naturally cruel disposition ; probably 
from a mingling of both considerations. They did 
not rely in vain upon the American commander. 

Soon after the engagement an exchange of prisoners 
had been proposed by General Arista, to which Gen- 
eral Taylor cheerfully assented. The American pris- 



AXECDOTE OF GENERAL TAYLOR. 177 

oners at Matamoras were, accordingly, taken across 
the river on the 11th, and exchanged, man for man, for 
Mexican prisoners of the same rank. Amongst the 
Americans exchanged, were Captains Thornton and 
Hardee, and Lieutenant Lane. On the morning of the 
same day General Taylor started for Point Isabel, for 
the purpose of securing a communication with Commo- 
dore Conner. Inmediately upon his arrival at Point 
Isabel, they had an interview which is thus humorously 
described in the work so often before quoted : — 

The singular simplicity that marks General Taylor's 
personal appearance and habits, has become a subject 
of universal fame. It is curious that a soldier, so emi- 
nent in all the qualities of discipline, should be so cit- 
izen-looking in his own appearance. Commodore Con- 
ner, on the contrary, is an officer that is not only strict 
in his dress, but has an extra nicety about it. He ap- 
pears in full and splendid uniform on all public occa- 
sions, being the exact contrast, in this particular, of 
General Taylor. 

At the proper time, Commodore Conner sent w^ord 
to General Taylor, that he Avould come on shore to pay 
him a visit of ceremony. This put " Old Rough and 
Ready" into a tremendous excitement. If Commodore 
Conner had quietly come up to his tent, and given him 
a sailor's grip, and sat down on a camp-chest, and talked 
over matters in an old-fashioned way. General Taylor 
would have been prepared ; but to have the most care- 
fully dressed officer in our navy, commanding the finest 
fleet, come in full uniform — surrounded by all the glit- 
tering pomp of splendid equipments — to pay a visit of 
ceremony, was more than General Taylor had, without 
some effi^rt, nerve to go through with ; but, ever equal 
to all emergencies, he determined to compliment Com- 



178 A DISAPPOINTMENT. 

modore Conner, and through him the navy, hy appeav 
ing in full uniform, a thing his officers, associated with 
him for years, had never witnessed. 

In the meanwhile, Commodore Conner was cogita- 
ting over the most proper way to compUment General 
Taylor. Having heard of his peculiar disregard of 
miUtary dress, he concluded he would make the visit 
in a manner comporting to General Taylor's habits, 
and consequently equipped himself in plain white dril- 
ling, and, unattended, came ashore. 

The moment General Taylor heard that Commodore 
Conner had landed, he abandoned some heavy work he 
was personally attending to about the camp, and pre- 
cipitately rushed into his tent, delved at the bottom of 
an old chest, and pulled out a uniform coat, that had 
peacefully slumbered for years in undisturbed quietude, 
slipped himself into it, in his haste fastening it so that 
one side of the standing collar was three button-holes 
above the other, and sat himself down as uncomfortably 
as can well be imagined. With quiet step, and unat- 
tended. Commodore Conner presented himself at Gen- 
eral Taylor's tent. The noble representatives of the 
army and navy shook hands, both in exceeding aston- 
ishment at each other's personal appearance. 

The wags of the army say that the above contains 
the only authentic account of General Taylor's ever 
being " headed," and that since that time, he has taken 
to linen roundabouts of the largest dimensions with 
more pertinacity than ever. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Barita Captured. — Surrender of Matamoras. — General Taylor in Mata- 
moras. — A Treacherous Mexican Official. — Pursuit of Arista's Army. 
— Some of tne Horrors of War. — Sad End to Dreams of Mexican 
Glory. — General Taylor Reinforced. — His jMarch to Monterey, and 
arrival there. — Strength of the City. — The Preparations for its de- 
fence. — Attacked by the Americans. — Stormed. — Capitulation and 
Terms. — Gallant Conduct of the American Officers and Soldiers. — 
Comparative Strength of the two Forces. — American Loss in the 
Attack. 

Having arranged with Commodore Conner the plan 
of an attack on Barita, a small village near the mouth of 
the Rio Grande, a force consisting of four companies of 
United States troops, under Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, 
First infantry, two companies of Louisiana volunteers, 
under Captains Stockton and Tobin, and one company 
of Alabama volunteers, under General Desha, were de- 
tached to capture that place. On the 15th of May, the 
command landed at Brazos and immediately took up 
their march, a portion of Commodore Conner's fleet 
co-operating with the land-force. There being no re- 
sistance on the part of the Mexicans, the place was 
taken possession of by the American troops. The in- 
habitants fled in affright, leaving everything at the 
mercy of the captors, upon their first approach. The 
town contains a custom-house, but was only important 
as a resting place for such of our forces as were des- 
tined for Matamoras. 



180 PREPARATIOXS FOR CAPTURING MATAM0RA9. 

On the evening of the 14th of jMay, General Taylor 
reached his camp from Point Isabel, and determined on 
an immediate attack upon Matamoras, or at latest by 
the next day. His preparations for the attack, how- 
ever, were not completed mitil the 17th. But on the 
morning of that day everything V\^as ready. Colonel 
Wilson having been ordered to march from Barita, so 
as to reach Matamoras at the same time General Tay- 
lor should make his demonstration against the city. 

Orders had been given to Colonel Twiggs to cross, 
when General Taylor was waited on by the jMexican 
general, Reguena, empowered by General Arista to treat 
for an armistice, until the two governments finally set- 
tled the difficulties pending. This cunning, on the part 
of the Mexican chief, was too apparent to General 
Taylor ; he was aware that Matamoras was filled with 
the munitions of war, and time was only wanted to 
move them off. General Taylor replied to General 
Reguena, that an armistice could not be granted ; he re- 
capitulated the circumstances of the preceding month, 
when he had himself proposed an armistice, which Gen- 
eral Ampudia had declined. He stated that he was re- 
ceiving large reinforcements — that he would not then 
suspend hostilities which he had not invited nor pro- 
voked ; he also said that the possession of Matamoras 
was a " sine qua non," and that the American troops 
would occupy the city, at the same time giving to Gen- 
eral Arista and his forces leave to withdraw from the 
town, leaving behind the public property of every de- 
Bcription. General Taylor remarked, that " Generals 
Ampudia and Arista had promised that the war should 
be conducted agreeably to the usage of civilized na- 
tions, and yet the Mexican forces had, in the battles of 
the 8th and 9th, stripped our dead, and mutilated their 



NEGOTIATION- FOR THE SURRENDER. 181 

bodies." General Reguena replied, '' that the women (!) 
and rancheros did it, and that they could not be con- 
trolled." General Taylor said he would come over to 
Matamoras, and control such people for them. 

General Reguena then left General Taylor, pledging 
himself that at three o'clock that evening he would come 
over with an answer from General Arista. General 
Taylor, accordingly, for the time, suspended his prepa- 
rations for crossing. The answer promised by Reguena 
to be delivered to General Taylor, positwely at three 
o'clock, did not come. General Taylor immediately 
ordered preparations to be made for crossing the Rio 
Grande ; parties were sent up and down the river to 
secure all the boats that could be seen on either side. 
That night, just after dark, the army moved up the 
river, and encamped opposite the contemplated cross- 
ing place. 

On the morning of the 18th, Captain Bliss, assistant 
adjutant-general of the '' Army of Occupation," Major 
Craig, Captain JMiles, and Lieutenant Britton, appeared 
on the banks of the Rio Grande, and sounded a parley. 
Lieutenant Britton then crossed the river with a white 
flag, and met a deputation of citizens from the prefect, 
who was the official civil representative of the city. 
The deputation wished to know the cause of the parley ? 
Lieutenant Britton replied, that Captain Biiss, aid to 
the commanding general, wished to see the prefect in 
person, or whoever was the commanding officer of the 
city, as he had an official communication for him from 
his chief The deputation crossed the river with Lieu- 
tenant Britton, met Captain Bliss, and invited the Amer- 
ican deputation to i>Iatamoras. They immediately 
crossed over, and met the prefect in his office, which 
was situated on the northwest side of the Plaza. Cap 



82 INTERVIEW WITH THE PREFECT. 

tain Bliss then delivered to the prefect a letter from 
General Taylor, which demanded a surrender of the 
town and all the public stores therein, stating, at the 
same time, that his general had commanded him to say- 
that the rights of individuals should be protected, that 
their religion should be respected, and that their courts 
of law and justice should proceed as they had done un- 
der the Mexican government, unless interfering with 
the rights of our government, and the necessary opera- 
tions of the commanding general. Captain Bliss asked 
the prefect to answer in positive terms, whether he 
could return and report to his general that the town 
would be given up without a blow, or whether it would 
be necessary to carry it at the point of the sword, as in 
either emergency, General Taylor was determined to 
have it. The prefect then answered, " General Taylor 
can march his troops into the city at any hour that may 
suit his convenience." Captain Bliss then said, " here 
let the interview terminate." 

While this conversation was going on, our army w^as 
crossing above tiie city. The east bank w^as defended 
by two eighteen-pounders, and the three batteries of 
our artiller}^ Colonel Twiggs ordered the regimental 
bands to strike up Yankee Doodle. The light com- 
panies of all battalions first went over, follow^ed by the 
volunteer and regular cavahy. Lieutenant Hays, of 
the Fourth infantry, and ten select men, with Captain 
Walker, of the Rangers, first crossed the river, with 
orders to ascertain and report the number and position 
of the enemy, if near the river. Immediately after 
Lieutenant Hays had gone over, the flank companies 
of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth infantry, were thrown 
across, commanded by Captain Buchanan and Captain 
Larned. These commands were followed by Captain 



I 



OUR TROOPS CROSS THE RIVER. 183 

Smith, of the Artillery battaUon, with two companies, 
and also by Captain Ker's squadron of dragoons. After 
this force had crossed, Ridgeley's artillery was dis- 
mounted, and taken over in parts. In the meantime, 
the infantry already over had taken possession of a 
strong place, to be ready for an attack. In the midst 
of these busy operations, Captain Bliss arrived, and in- 
formed General Taylor of his interview with the pre- 
fect, and of the unconditional surrender of the town. 
General Taylor immediately ordered that portion of the 
American forces that had not crossed the river, to re- 
turn to Fort Brown and cross there. Captain Ker, of 
the Dragoons, passed below where^ the troops were 
crossing, and raised upon the walls of Fort Parades, 
tlie star-spangled hanner, unfolding it in proud defiance 
upon the west side of the Rio Grande. 

The different regiments already on the west side of 
the Rio Grande were marched to their respective places 
of encampment, without noise or disorder, save when 
the flag of our country was unexpectedly seen waving 
from Fort Parades ; discipline then gave way to feel- 
ing, and nine hearty cheers rent the air, and announced 
the occupation of Matamoras by American troops. 
That evening a small guard was established in Mata- 
moras, to keep the peace. No troops, except under 
command, visited it that night. The Matamorians slept 
securely under the protection of the American govern- 
ment, a boon ever denied them by their own. Upon 
inquiry, it became evident that General Reguena had 
been sent over to General Taylor merely to gain time ; 
that, even while he was negotiating for the surrender 
of the city. Arista's troops were throwing the public 
stores into the river, burying pieces of artillery in wells, 
and concealing other portions of the public stores in 
8* 



184 DEATH OF LIEUTENANT GEORGE STEVEN3. 

out-of-the way places about the city. Arista com- 
menced his retreat on the evening that General Reguena 
promised to bring a message from him to General Tay- 
lor, taking with him tvv^o pieces of artillery, and over 
four thousand men, leaving behind his sick and wounded. 

A doom was thrown over the brilliant events of this 
day by a most unfortunate accident ; Lieutenant George 
Stevens, a graduate of West Point in 1843, and a most 
promising officer in the second dragoons, was swept by 
the swift current from his horse, while crossing the 
river at the head of his command. He had distin- 
guished himself on the brilliant days of the 8th and 
9th, and his untimely death was universally lamented. 
His friends, two days after he was drowned, had the 
melancholy satisfaction of recovering his body, and 
giving it the ceremonies of a soldier's burial within the 
walls of Fort Brown, beside the gallant hero that gave 
it his name. 

Immediately upon taking possession of Matamoras 
our troops were distributed so as to occupy the upper 
and lower suburbs of the town, a small guard only being 
stationed in the city itself Colonel Twiggs' command 
was stationed above the city along the banks of the 
river, his own head-quarters occupying a romantic 
spot directly on its brink. General Worth's command 
was located in the bend of the river below, having a 
fine view from his tent, and Lieutenant-Colonel Bel- 
knap's, of the surrounding country. 

Directly opposite Colonel Belknap's, were to be seen 
a few torn tents, and a number of wiry-looking horses. 
They marked the head-quarters of Captain Walker, 
of the Rangers. From Colonel Twiggs' tent you could 
see the volunteer regiments stretching away west almost 
as far as the eye could reach, centering around the 



THE AMERICAN' AUMY IX MATAM0RA3. 185 

Fanques del Raminero, and then scattering off in little 
groups. The Seventh regiment nestled beneath the 
walls of Fort Brown, which they had so nobly de- 
fended. General Taylor found a few trees that ap- 
peared to be higher than their neighbors, under which 
he pitched his " head-quarters ;" they could only be 
recognized from the tents about them by their disposi- 
tion — they were arranged for shade and not with mili- 
tary precision. 

Colonel Twiggs was appointed "Governor of the 
Town," and to his especial care v/as intrusted the tak- 
ing possession of the military stores left by the Mexi- 
can Army. Don Jose Cardenas, the prefect of Mata- 
moras at the time General Taylor took possession, was 
distinguished among his fellow-citizens for oppression, 
and for his hatred to foreigners. In surrendering the 
city the prefect's only care was to know if he could 
retain his office. He never stipulated for any privileges 
for the citizens, or seemed in any way to think of their 
interests. Immediately upon Colonel Twiggs taking 
command, he sent for this notable Cardenas, and asked 
him for an inventory of the public property. He stated, 
positively, that he knew of riorxB, and persisted in de- 
claring that none was left b/' the Mexican forces when 
they evacuated the city. Ojlonel Twiggs dismissed 
him, and entering the city, with information obtained 
from other quarters, soon began to find vast quantities 
of military stores, in almost all of the out-of-the-way 
places about the Plaza. 

This outrageous trifling on the part o^ the prefect 
Colonel Twiggs was determined to notice. Accordingly 
he waited upon him the following morning at his office, 
to give the gentleman what is denominated a " plain 
talk." The colonel labored under one difficulty — elo- 



186 A MERCENARY OFFICIAL. 

quent himself, it was a great drawback to have it 
marred by an indifferent translator. Fortunately, an 
American citizen by the name of Dugden, a very intel- 
ligent gentleman of Matamoras, and an object of the 
prefect's special oppression, offered his services as an 
interpreter. " I wish to give the falsifying prefect a 
proper notion of his conduct," said the colonel, with a 
variety of explicatures. " Can you, Mr. Dugden, do 
justice to what I say ?" Mr. Dugdea assented, and the 
" Governor" laid down the first paragraph of his lecture 
in English. Dugden did justice to what was said, and, 
it was thought, added a little on his own responsibility, 
much to the gi'atification of the governor. 

The prefect, bearded in his own den, began to turn 
a variety of colors : his consternation increased, as the 
citizens of the town crowded into his office, and, by the 
wildest expressions of delight, testified their pleasure 
at what was gojng on. The prefect literally trembled 
in his shoes, and promised to act better, and honestly 
point out the hidden treasures. But he prevaricated 
so constantly, that he was finally dismissed, and ejected 
from the shadow of the office he still held, and he left 
the city, it was supposed to join Arista or some other 
general in the interior. 

The day following the taking of Matamoras, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Garland, with all the regular and irre- 
gular cavalry of the army, about two hundred and fifty 
dragoons and rangers, started in pursuit of the retreat- 
ing Mexicans, with orders to harass their rear, and to 
capture prisoners and baggage. On the 22d, Colonel 
Garland returned from his pursuit. He succeeded in 
capturing a small rear party, after a slight show of re- 
sistance on their part, in which two Mexicans were 
killed, twenty-two taken prisoners, and one wagon 



PURSUIT OF THE FLYING MEXICANS. 187 

with ammunition and clothing of an artillery com- 
pany captured. Two of our own troops were slightly 
wounded. The scarcity of water, the barrenness 
of the country, and the condition of the horses, com- 
pelled Colonel Garland to return to IMatamoras, after 
having penetrated over sixty miles into the enemy's 
country. 

The army of the Mexicans, under General Arista, 
was but twenty-four hours ahead of our cavalry, re- 
treating in good order — our officers stopping at the 
ranches where the enemy had, the night previous. A 
ranchero, at one of these stopping places, inquired with 
great simplicity of Captain Graham, where the Ameri- 
cans were going. He was told in pursuit of the re- 
treating Mexican army. " Retreating army !" said the 
fellow, with astonishment ; " why, General Am.pudia 
stopped at my house last night, and said that his troops 
had conquered the Americans, and that he was now 
on his way to Mexico to take the news." The man 
was confounded, for it was impossible for him to be- 
lieve his nation had been whipped in battle, and still 
more incomprehensible that a small number of Ameri- 
can dragoons should seriously, and for purposes of 
war, really drive before them over three thousand 
troops. 

For several successive days after the precipitate re- 
treat of the Mexicans, the bodies of drowned Mexican 
soldiers were thrown ashore by the current of the river. 
Among the mass, were distinguishable several officers. 
Arista, in his official dispatch, mentions tvv'o who thus 
met their death. The body of Father Leary was taken 
out of the water near the fort, his canonicals still on, 
and his cross clutched tightly in his hand. As the Rio 
Grande fell, it left suspended to the overhanging trees, 



188 SAD END OF LOFTY EXPECTATIONS. 

the bodies caught in the meshes of their branches; 
thus they hung in the air, until they dropped piecemeal 
into the water below. The very river itself, for a while, 
became offensive ; mutilated corpses floated along, at- 
tacked by the voracious catfish, causing them to twitch 
and roll about, as if still in the agonies of death. 

On the battle-fields, more glaringly horrible effects of 
war were presented ; in the lone places in the deep 
chapparal, lay the mouldering bodies of those of the 
wounded who had crawled away to die. Buzzards and 
carrion crows wheeled in eccentric circles over these 
unmade graves ; beetles and foul insects burrowed be- 
neath them ; jackals, at night, dug their w^ay into the 
mounds of the dead, exposing the interior corruption 
to the passer-by. The descending rains would beat 
down the arch made by these desecrations, and the pile 
marking where a hundred Mexicans lay, gradually sunk, 
until it seemed as if the remains of so many human be- 
ings scarcely disfigured the surface of the earth. When 
a few months, or years shall have passed away, all ves- 
tiges will be gone. The result of so great a sacrifice, 
will be the memory of a few glorious deeds ; the suffer- 
ing, the sin, the dreadful ofiences in the sight of heaven, 
will only have permanent record in another world. 

With the return of Lieutenant-Colonel Garland's 
command from the pursuit of the fugitive Mexican 
army under General Arista, ended the first great act in 
the history of the operations of our army on the Rio 
Grande, and with the capture of Matamoras, terminated 
all immediate prospect of fighting. The Mexican army 
was almost literally annihilated, and the broken frag- 
ments were fleeing for safety from our victorious troops. 
That proud and confident army of more than eight 
thousand of the best troops of Mexico, which but a few 



CONDITIOX OF AFFAIRS AT MAT AMOR A3. 189 

days before, had marched mto Matamoras without a 
doubt that the Americans would fall an easy prey to 
their arms, and whose victory magnificent preparations 
for celebrating had been made in advance — this army, 
so certain of victory, and so superior to General Tay- 
lor's, had been cut to pieces, and driven in confusion 
from the Rio Grande. The country had been com- 
pletely subdued in a little more than six weeks from the 
day our army reached the point opposite Matamoras 
now occupied by Fort Brown. The condition of Mat- 
amoras and the state of affairs immediately following 
the occupancy of the city, by General Taylor, is thus 
described by an American who visited the scene of 
operations : — 

" I arrived here yesterday morning, on the steamer 
Florida, after a passage of eight days, and find that the 
news of the taking of Matamoras was carried from 
here a week ago. There is nothing occurring here now 
of stirring interest, the fighting having ceased, for some 
weeks to come at least, and I am incHned to think that 
there will be no more of it on the Rio Grande. Our 
army must seek the enemy in their own country if they 
desire to meet them in any considerable bodies. Am- 
pudia's defeat on the 8th and 9th, has ruined the Mex- 
ican army now in the north. They have lost every- 
thing, mules, pack-saddles, ammunition, arms, and men 
enough to strike terror to their hearts. Fort Polk, as 
this point is now called, is a complete museum at the 
present moment, with its Mexican booty — Mexican 
prisoners, mules, lances, saddles curiously wrought, 
leather pack-saddles, huge saddle-bags, muskets, ord- 
nance, drums, copper cannon balls, grape-shot, letters, 
and all kinds of documents picked up on the ground 
where Ampudia was encamped. One of the officers, 



190 WOUNDED AMERICAN OFFICERS. 

who was in the tw^o engagements, says that the supper 
which the Mexicans had, in their confidence prepared 
for themselves, and which they were obliged so sud- 
denly to abandon, afforded a rich repast to our tired 
and hungry officers and men. He pronounces their 
liquors, chocolate, soups, roast beef, &c., to have been 
first rate. Ampudia's plate, which was valuable, was 
promptly returned to him. Most of the wounded have 
been sent to Corpus Christi, but there are still enough 
here to represent most painfully the sad results of war. 
Captain Page, whose under jaw was completely shot 
away, is in a fair way of recovering. Captain Hooe is 
walking about with the stump of his right arm dangling 
by his side, and appears to be in excellent humor. 
Colonel Mcintosh, who was badly w^ounded, was 
stretched out yesterday in a Mexican wagon, trying to 
read. He was stabbed in the throat, or rather down 
the throat, in the neck, and in other parts of the body, 
and was repeatedly knocked down in the fight. Lieu- 
tenant Maclay, who w^as wounded in the action of the 
9th, is here, with an awfully sore shin, across which a 
Mexican grape-shot passed, shaving a little closer than 
was safe, as it carried with it a slice of bone and sinew. 
Instances of individual heroism occurred at those two 
engagements which would have immortalized a Spartan. 
" Volunteers are gathering here in crowds. Yester- 
day the Ondiaka, Mary Kingsland, Florida, and Orleans 
arrived wdth troops from New Orleans. A company 
of Texas rangers came down to Padre Island, and were 
crossing over last evening. Some are encamped near 
the fort, on the prairie, and six companies of Louisiana 
volunteers are encamped on the Point, three miles and 
a half distant, at the bar. I had the pleasure, yesterday, 
of meeting General Memucan Hunt, of the Texan vol- 



GEXEIIAL TAYLOR KEIXFOIICED. 19l 

unteers. The general looks well, and is anxious to be 
on the field. His men are hardy-looking fellows. All 
they pray for is to be permitted to go out through the 
interior, as our army marches on towards Mexico, and 
to take such towns as they can reach. Their knowl- 
edge of the country, their hardihood and experience in 
fighting Mexicans, fit them peculiarly for such service. 

" There are more than twenty vessels lying here, 
inside and outside of the bar — one frigate of war, and 
the balance transports and trading vessels. The Flo- 
rida drew less than seven feet, and bumped heavily on 
the bar as she came over yesterday morning. The sut- 
lers put the screws to the poor soldiers here at a cruel 
rate, in the way of charges. It is really outrageous, 
and should be looked to by those in power." 

But owdng to General Taylor's deficiencies in troops, 
supplies and means of transportation, he was unable 
to follow up his advantages by a prompt movement 
upon Monterey, before the enemy had time to recover 
from the effects of their late disastrous defeat, and 
recruit another army sufficiently strong to dispute his 
further progress. He was consequently compelled to 
remain in comparative inactivity at Matamoras, wait- 
ing for reinforcements and v/agons, until the 5th of 
August, nearly three months after the defeat of the 
Mexican army. He had, however, received by the 
end of June large reinforcements, but not the means of 
transportation. If it had been in the power of Taylor 
to have marched to Monterey and attacked it while the 
Mexicans Vv-ere panic struck by their recent decisive 
overthrow, that important city v;ould have fallen into 
his hands almost without resistance. But circumstan- 
ces beyond his control rendered this impossible, and he 
was left no other alternative than ouietlv to wait for 



192 REORGANIZATION OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. 

the means of making a forward movement. Small ex- 
peditions, however, were sent against several Mexican 
towns. Amongst others, Captain McCulloch captured 
Camargo, Mier and Reynosa. 

While the Mexicans were suffering defeat abroad, 
they were threatened with a more serious enemy at 
home, and they seemed on the eve of another of those 
periodical revolutions which have distracted that 
wretched country for the last twenty years. Misfor- 
tune being considered a crime by her rulers, Parades, 
the President, superseded and recalled the defeated 
generals, with the view of punishing them for not 
wringing a victory from the Americans in spite of fate. 
But Arista was determined not to trust himself in the 
hands of his government, and began to organize an 
insurrectionary arm.y, with which to dispute the autho- 
rity of the President of the Republic. Parades was 
re-elected, however, on the 16th of June, 1846, which 
put an end, for a time, to the rebellious symptoms of the 
refractory general. Upon the re-organization of the 
new government, Aravalo w^as sent to Monterey to 
supersede Arista, and Ampudia to San Luis Potosi. 

Active preparations were at once entered into for 
strongly fortifying Monterey upon the arrival of the 
new commander, and even before. Expecting that 
it would be the next to be attacked after the fall of 
Matamoras, every means were immediately put in re- 
quisition to place it in a complete state of defence. It 
was naturally one of the very strongest places in Mexico. 
During the war for the independence of Mexico from 
the Spanish yoke, this city was held by few Mexican 
troops for ten years, against the whole Spanish power. 
These natural advantages had been greatly improved 
by artificial defences, and the town was considered im- 



GENERAL fAYLOn MARCHES FOR MONTEI^EY. 193 

pregnable. The only access to the city for an invading 
army, is up steep and rugged acclivities, every inch of 
which could be swept by the guns of the fortifications. 
And it seemed Hke walking into the very jaws of death 
to attempt to storm it. Yet all these things did not 
for an instant deter General Taylor from his contem- 
plated attack upon this strong-hold of Mexico. 

Near the end of August, accordingly, General Worth 
was ordered to advance to Seralvo, and there await 
further instructions. Having ascertained at this place 
that Monterey had been reinforced by three thousand 
men under the comniand of General Ampudia, he 
advised General Taylor of the movement. This rein- 
forcement increased the force of the garrison to ten 
thousand men, and decided him in his determination 
to move on without further delay to Monterey, and 
attack it at once. He therefore marched from Mata- 
moras on the 7th of September, leaving General Pat- 
terson in command of that city, and all the forces 
between it and Camargo. 

Leaving behind everything not absolutely necessary 
in the proposed attack, and calculated to impede his 
movements, he sent forward to Seralvo such supplies 
as were immediately required for the subsistence of his 
troops, and then hastened rapidly forward himself to 
the same place. He did not long wait for reinforce- 
ments, however, notwithstanding his army was con- 
sidered by those v/ho knew the strength of Monterey, 
so inadequate to the dangerous and difficult enterprise. 
His force did not much exceed six thousand men, 
while the city was garrisoned by ten thousand men 
at least. But hastily completing his arrangements, he 
moved on towards the devoted city of his destination, 
with all possible speed. Occasional attempts were 



194 HIS ARRIVAL THERE. 

made to obstruct his passage by small skirmishing 
parties. But no serious opposition was offered. He 
ascertained from deserters from Monterey, that prepara- 
tions for a desperate resistance were going on with 
much activity, and everything indicated that the city 
would be defended with great resolution. This infor- 
mation, however, only had the tendency to hasten his 
movements, not only from the eagerness of himself and 
men to signalize themselves after so long a period of 
comparative inactivity, but to make the attack before 
the enemy had time to complete their defences. 

After a march of twelve days, from the time he left 
Matamoras, he arrived at the Walnut Springs, a delight- 
ful position, within three miles of the city, and encamped 
there on the morning of the 19th of September. From 
this position he had an unobstructed view of the city 
of Monterey. It is situated in a beautiful valley, a 
part of which is extremely fertile, and highly cultiva- 
ted. Almost all tropical fruits grow there in abun- 
dance. It is situated amidst lofty mountains on three 
sides and an open valley on the other, " and fortified 
with thick stone walls in the old Spanish style, with 
ditches and bastions, and bristling v/ith cannon. The 
flat-roofed houses were all converted into fortifications, 
every street w^as barricaded, and every house was 
bristling with musketry." On one side was the Bishop's 
Palace, an extremely strong and well fortified fort ; on 
the other were redoubts, and in the rear a river. Be- 
sides its garrison of ten thousand men, it contained 
a population of fifteen thousand, which could supply 
nearly three thousand volunteers. Thus the Mexican 
force was, in reality, but little if any short of thirteen 
thousand men for its defence, whilst the force of Gen- 
eral Taylor was less than seven thousand men ; when 



ENCAMPS AT WALNUT SPRINGS. 195 

in reality the besieging force should at least be double 
the beseiged, in order to approach near an equality 
of strenojth. The reader will understand from this 
brief description of the city which the American force 
under Taylor were about to attack, the dangers of the 
attempt, and the almost 'overwhelming disadvantages 
which he had to fight against. 

After estabhshing his camp at Walnut Springs, the 
nearest suitable position to Monterey, General Taylor 
ordered a reconnoissance of the ground in question, 
which was executed on the evening of the 19th, by the 
engineer officers, under Major Mansfield. A recon- 
noissance of the eastern approaches was at the same 
time made by Captain Williams, topographical en- 
gineers. The examination made by Major Mansfield 
proved the entire practicability of throwing forward a 
column to the Saltillo road, and thus turning the posi- 
tion of the enemy. Deeming this to be an operation 
of essential importance, orders were given to Brevet- 
Brigadier-General Worth, commanding the Second 
division, to march with his command on the 20th ; to 
turn the hill of the Bishop's Palace ; to occupy a posi- 
tion on the Saltillo road, and carry the enemy's de- 
tached works in that quarter, where practicable. The 
First regiment of Texan mounted volunteers, under 
command of Colonal Hays, was associated with tha 
Second division on this service. Captain Sanders, 
engineers, and Lieutenant Meade, topographical en- 
gineers, were also ordered to report to General Worth, 
for duty with his column. 

At two o'clock, p. M. on the 29th, the vSecond divi- 
sion took up its march. It was soon discovered, by 
officers who were reconnoitring the town, and com- 
municated to General Worth, that its movement had 



196 PREPArvATIONS FOR THE ATTACK. 

been perceived, and that the enemy was throwing re- 
inforcements towards the Bishop's Palace, and th« 
height which commands it. To divert his attention, 
as far as practicable, the First division, under Brigadier- 
General Twiggs, and field division of volunteers, under 
Major-General Butler, were displayed in front of the 
town, until dark. Arrangements w-ere made at the 
same time to place a battery, during the night, at a 
suitable distance from the enemy's main work, the 
citadel, — two twenty-four pounders and a ten inch 
mortar, with a view to open a fire on the following day, 
when General Taylor proposed to make a diversion in 
favor of General Worth's movement. The Fourth 
infantry covered this battery during the night. Gen- 
eral Worth had in the meantime reached and occupied, 
for the night, a defensive position just without range 
of a battery above the Bishop's Palace, having made 
a reconnoissance as far as the Saltillo road. 

Early on the morning of the 21st, General Taylor 
received a note from General Worth, wTitten at half- 
past nine o'clock the night before, suggesting a strong 
diversion against the centre and left of the town, to 
favor his enterprise against the heights in rear. The 
infantry and artillery of the First division, and the 
field division of volunteers, were ordered under arms, 
and took the direction of the city, leaving one company 
of each regiment as a camp guard. The Second 
dragoons, under Lieutenant-Colonel May, and Colonel 
Wood's regiment of Texas mounted volunteers, under 
the immediate direction of General Henderson, w^ere 
directed to the right to support General Worth, if 
necessary, and to make an impression, if practicable, 
upon the upper quarter of the city. Upon approach- 
ing the mortar battery, the First and Third regiments 



ATTACK UPON AN ADVANCED BATTERY. 197 

of infantry, and battalion of Baltimore and Washing- 
ton volunteers, with Captain Bragg's field battery — the 
whole under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Gar- 
land — were directed towards the lower part of the 
town, wdth orders to make a strong demonstration, and 
carry one of the enemy's advance v/orks, if it could 
be done without too heavy loss. Major Mansfield., 
engineer, and Captain Williams and Lieutenant Pope, 
topographical engineers, accompanied this column, 
Major Mansfield being charged with its direction, and 
the designation of points to attack. 

In the meantime, the mortar, served by Captain 
Ramsay, of the ordnance, and the howitzer battery 
under Captain Webster, First artillery, had opened 
their fire upon the citadel, which was deliberately sus- 
tained, and answered from the work. General Butler's 
division had now taken up a position in rear of this 
battery, when the discharges of artillery, mingled with 
a rapid fire of small-arms, showed that Lieutenant- 
Colonel Garland's command had become warmly en- 
gaged. General Taylor now deemed it necessary to 
support this attack, and he accordingly ordered the 
Fourth infantry, and three regiments of General But- 
ler's division, to march at once, by the left flank, in the 
direction of the advance work at the lower extremity 
of the town, leaving^ the First reG;iment of Kentucky 
volunteers to cover the mortar and howitzer battery. 
By some mistake, two companies of the Fourth infan- 
try did not receive this order, and consequently, did 
not join the advance companies, until some time after- 
wards. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Garland's command had ap- 
proached the town in a direction to the right of the 
advance work, at the north-eastern angle of the city, 



198 garland's command enter the town. 

and the engineer officer, covered by skirmishers, had 
succeeded in entering the suburbs and gaining cover. 
The remainder of this command now advanced and 
entered the town under a heavy fire of artillery from 
the citadel and the works on the left, and of musketry 
from the houses and small works in front. A move- 
ment to the right was attempted, with a view to gain 
the rear of this advance work and to carry it, but the 
troops were so much exposed to a fire which they 
could not effectually return, and had sustained such 
severe loss, particularly in officers, that it was deemed 
best by General Taylor to withdraw them to a more 
secure position. Captain Backus, of the First infantry, 
however, with a portion of his own and other com- 
panies, had gained the roof of a tannery, which looked 
directly into the gorge of the enemy's advance battery, 
and from which he poured a most destructive fire into 
that work, and upon the strong building in its rear. 
This fire happily coincided, in point of time, with the 
advance of a portion of the volunteer division upon 
the same battery, and contributed largely to the fall of 
that strong and important work. 

The three regiments of the volunteer division, under 
the immediate command of Major-General Butler, had 
in the meantime advanced in the direction of this 
v^^ork. The leading brigade, under Brigadier-General 
Quitman, continued its advance upon that work, pre- 
ceded by three companies of the Fourth infantry, 
while General Butler, with the First Ohio regiment of 
volunteers entered the town to the right. The com- 
panies of the Fourth infantry had advanced within 
short range of the work, w^hen they were received by 
a fire that almost in one moment struck down one-third 
of the officers and men, and rendered it necessary to 




c I 
t; ■- 



CHARGE UPON THE SECOND BATTERY. 201 

retire and effect a conjunction with the two other com- 
panies then advancing. General Quitman's brigade, 
though suffering most severely, particularly in the Ten- 
nessee regiment, continued its advance, and finally car- 
ried the work in handsome style, as well as the strong 
building in its rear. Five pieces of artillery, a consid- 
erable supply of ammunition, and thirty prisoners, in- 
cluding three officers, fell into our hands. 

Major-General Butler, with the First Ohio regiment, 
after entering the edge of the town, discovered that 
nothing was to be accomplished in his front, and at 
this point, yielding to the suggestions of several officeris. 
General Taylor ordered a retrograde movement ; but 
learning almost immediately from one of his staff that 
the advance battery had been taken, the order was 
countermanded, and he determined to hold the battery 
and defences already gained. General Butler, with 
the First Ohio regiment, then entered the town at a 
point further to the left, and marched in the direction 
of the second battery. While making an examination 
with a view to ascertain the possibility of carrying this 
second work by storm, General Butler was severely 
wounded, and soon after compelled to quit the field. 
As the strength of the battery, and the heavy musketry 
fire flanking the approach, rendered it impossible to 
carry it without great loss, the First Ohio regiment 
was withdrawn from the town. 

Fragments of the various regiments engaged were 
now under cover of the captured battery, and some 
buildings in its front, and on the right. The field bat- 
tery of Captains Bragg and Ridgeley was also par- 
tially covered by the battery. An incessant fire was 
kept upon this position from the second battery, and 

other works on its right, and from the citadel on all our 
9 



202 A FOOTHOLD OBTAINED. 

approaches. General Twiggs joined General Taylor 
at this point, and was instrumental in causing the ar- 
tillery captured from the enemy to be placed in bat- 
tery, and served by Captain Ridgeley, against the 
Mexicans, until the arrival of Captain Webster's how- 
itzer battery, which took its place. In the meantime, 
the commanding general directed such men as could be 
collected of the First, Third and Fourth regiments and 
Baltimore battalion, to enter the town, penetrating to 
the right, and carry the second battery if possible. 
This command, under Lieutenant-Colonel Garland, 
advanced beyond the bridge " Purisima," w^hen, find- 
ing it impracticable to gain the rear of the second 
battery, a portion of it sustained themselves for some 
time in that advanced position ; but as no permanent 
impression could be made at that point, and the main 
object of the general operation had been effected, the 
command, including a section of Captain Ridgeley's 
battery, which had joined it, was withdrawn to the 
first battery. During the absence of this column, a 
demonstration of cavalry was reported in the direction 
of the citadel. Captain Bragg, who was at hand, im- 
mediately galloped with his battery to a suitable posi- 
tion, from which a few discharges effectually dispersed 
the enemy. Captain Miller, First infantry, was dis- 
patched with a mixed command to support the battery 
on this service. The enemy's lancers had previously 
charged, upon the Ohio and a part of the Mississippi 
regiments, near some fields at a distance from the edge 
of the town, and had been repulsed with considerable 
loss. A demonstration of cavalry on the opposite side 
of the river was also dispersed in the course of the af- 
ternoon by Captain Ridgeley's battery, and the squad- 
rons returned to the city. At the approach of evening, 



SEVERE AMERICAN LOS** 203 

«^U the troops that had been engaged were ordered back 
; camp, except Captain Ridgeley's battery and the 
.ar infantry of the First division, who were de- 
ed as a guard for the w^orks during the night, under 
v.^ nmand of Lieutenant-Colonel Garland. One bat- 
talion of the First Kentucky regiment was ordered to 
reinforce this command. Intrenching tools were pro- 
cured, and additional strength was given to the works, 
and protection to the men, by working parties during 
the night, under the direction of Lieutenant Scarritt, 
engineers. 

The main object proposed in the morning had been 
effected. A powerful diversion had been made to 
favor the operations of the Second Division, one of 
the enemy's advance works had been carried, and we 
now had a strong foot-hold in the town. But this had 
not been accomplished without a very heavy loss, em- 
bracing some of our most gallant and accomplished 
ofhcers. Captain Williams, topographical engineers ; 
Lieutenants Terrett and Dilworth, First infantry ; 
Lietenant Woods, Second infantry ; Captains Morris 
and Field, Brevet-Major Barbour, Lieutenants Irwin 
and Hazlitt, Third infantry ; Lieutenant Hoskins, 
Fourth infantry ; Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, Balti- 
more battalion ; Captain Allen and Lieutenant Put- 
nam. Tennessee regiment, and Lieutenant Hett, Ohio 
regiment, were killed, or have since died of wounds 
received in this engagement, while the number and 
rank of the officers wounded gives additional proof 
of the obstinacy of the contest, and the good conduct 
of our troops. The number of killed and wounded 
incident to the operations in the lower part of the city, 
on the 21st, is three hundred and ninety-four. 

Early in the morning of the 21st, the advance of the 



204 THE ENEMY EVACUATE THEIR WORKS. 

Second division had encountered the enemy in force, 
and after a brief but sharp conflict, repulsed him with 
heavy loss. General Worth then succeeded in gaining 
a position on the Saltillo road, thus cutting the enemy's 
line of communication. From this position the two 
heights south of the Saltillo road were carried in suc- 
cession, and the guns taken in one of them turned on 
the Bishop's Palace. These important successes were 
fortunately obtained with comparatively small loss; 
Captain McKavett, Eighth infantry, being the only 
officer killed. 

The 22nd day of September passed without any act- 
ive operations in the lower part of the city. The cit- 
adel and other works continued to fire at parties ex- 
posed to their range, and at the work now occupied by 
our troops. The guard left in it the preceding night, 
except Captain Ridgeley's company, was relieved at 
mid-day by General Quitman's brigade. Captain 
Bragg's battery was thrown under cover in front of 
the town, to repel any demonstration of cavalry in 
that quarter. At daw^n of day the height above the 
Bishop's Palace v/as carried, and soon after meridian 
the Palace itself was taken, and its guns turned upon 
the fugitive garrison. The object for which the Sec- 
ond division was detached had thus been completely 
accomplished, and all felt confident that with a strong 
force occupying the road and heights in his rear, and a 
good position below the city in the possession of the 
Americans, the enemy could not possibly maintain the 
town. 

During the night of the 22d the enemy evacuated 
nearly all his defences in the lower part of the city. 
This was reported to General Taylor early in the morn- 
iK^/ of the 23d, by General Quitman, who had already 



AMERICANS STORM THE CITY. "205 

meditated an assault upon those works. He immedi- 
ately sent instructions to that officer, leaving it to his 
discretion to enter the city, covering his men by the 
houses and wails, and advance carefully so far as he 
might deem it prudent. 

After ordering the remainder of the troops as a re- 
serve, under the orders of Brigadier-General Twjggs, 
General Taylor repaired to the abandoned works, and 
discovered that a portion of General Quitman's brigade 
had entered the town, and w^ere successfully forcing 
their way towards the principal plaza. He then or- 
dered up the Second regiment of Texas mounted volun- 
teers, who entered the city dismounted, and, under the 
immediate orders of General Henderson, co-operated 
with General Quitman's brigade. Captain Bragg's 
battery was also ordered up, supported by the Third 
infantry, and after firing for some time at the Cathedral, 
a portion of it was likewise thrown into the city. The 
American troops advanced from house to house, and 
from square to square, until they reached a street but 
one square in rear of the principal plaza, in and near 
which the enemy's force was mainly concentrated. 
This advance was conducted vigorously, but with due 
caution, and although destructive to the enemy, was 
attended with but small loss on our part. Captain 
Ridgeley, in the meantime, had served a captured 
piece in the first battery taken by the enemy, against 
the city, until the advance of our men rendered it im- 
prudent to fire in the direction of the Cathedral. Gen- 
eral Taylor was satisfied that his troops could operate 
successfully in the city, and that the enemy had retired 
from the lower portion of it to make a stand behind 
his barricades. As General Quitman's brigade had 
been on duty the previous night, General Taylor deter- 



S06 PROPOSAL TO EVACUATE. 

mined to withdraw the troops to the evacuated works, 
and concert with General Worth a combined attack 
upon the town. The troops accordingly fell back de- 
liberately, in good order, and resumed their original 
positions, General Quitman's brigade being relieved 
after nightfall by that of General Hamer. On his re- 
turn to camp, he met an officer with the intelligence 
that General Worth, induced by the firing in the lower 
part of the city, was about making an attack at the 
upper extremity, which had also been evacua-ed by the 
enemy to a considerable distance. He received a note 
from General Worth, written at eleven o'clock p. m., 
informing him that he had advanced to within a short 
distance of the principal plaza, and that the mortar 
which had been sent to his division m the morning was 
doing good execution within effective range of the 
enemy's position. Desiring to make no further attempt 
upon the city without complete concert as to the lines 
and mode of approach, General Taylor instructed that 
officer to suspend his advance, until he could have an 
interview with him on the following morning at his 
head-quarters. 

Early in the morning of the 24th he received, through 
Colonel Moreno, a communication from General Am- 
pudia proposing to evacuate the town. He arranged 
with Colonel Moreno a cessation of fire until twelve 
o'clock, at which hour he would receive the answer of 
the Mexican general at General Worth's head-quar- 
ters, to which he soon repaired. In the meantime, 
General Ampudia had signified to General Worth his 
desire for a personal interview with Taylor, to which 
he acceded, and which finally resulted in a surrender 
of the city upon the following conditions : 

Terms of Capitulation of the city of Monterey, the 



TERMS OF CAPITULATION. 207 



capital of Nuevo Leon, agreed upon by the undersigned 
commissioners, to wit: General Worth, of the United 
States army. General Henderson, of the Texas volun- 
teers, and Colonel Davis, of the Mississippi riflemen, 
on the part of Major General Taylor, commanding-in- 
chief the United States forces, and General Requena, 
and General Ortega, of the army of Mexico, and Senor 
Manuel M. Llano, governor of Nuevo Leon, on the part 
of Senor General Don Pedro Ampudia, commandmg- 
in-chief the army of the north of Mexico. 

Art. I. As the legitimate result of the operations 
before this place, and the present position of the con- 
tending armies, it is agreed that the city, the fortifica- 
tions, cannon, the munitions of war, and all other pub- 
lic property, with the undermentioned exceptions, be 
surrendered to the commanding general of the United 
States forces now at Monterey. 

Art. 2. That the Mexican forces be allowed to retain 
the following arms, to wit : the commissioned officers 
their side-arms, the infantry their arms and accoutre- 
ments, the cavalry their arms and accoutrements, the 
artillery one field battery, not to exceed six pieces, with 
twenty-one rounds of ammunition. 

Art. 3. That the Mexican armed forces retire within 
seven days from this date, beyond the line formed by 
the pass of the Rinconada, the city of Linares and San 
Fernando de Presas. 

Art. 4. That the citadel at Monterey be evacuated 
by the Mexican, and occupied by the American forces, 
to-morrow' morning at 10 o'clock. 

Art 5 To avoid collisions, and for mutual conven- 
ience, ihat the troops of the United States will not oc 
cupy the city until the Mexican forces have withdrawn, 
except for hospital and storage purposes. 



208 AMERICANS ENTER THE CITY. 

Art. 6. That the forces of the United States will 
not advance beyond the line specified in the 2d [3d] 
article before the expiration of eight weeks, or until the 
orders or instructions of the respective governments 
can be received. 

Art. 7. That the pubhc property to be delivered 
shall be turned over and received by officers appointed 
by the commanding generals of the two armies. 

Art. 8. That all doubts as to the meaning of any of 
the preceding articles shall be solved by an equitable 
construction, and on principles of liberality to the re- 
tiring army. 

Art. 9. That the Mexican flag, when struck at the 
citadel, may be saluted by its own battery. 

Done at Monterey, September 24, 1846. 

Upon occupying the city, it was discovered to be of 
great strength in itself, and to have its approaches care- 
fully and strongly fortified. The town and works were 
armed with forty pieces of cannon, well supplied with 
ammunition, and manned with a force of at least seven 
thousand troops of the line, and from two to three thou- 
sand irregulars. The force under General Taylor's 
orders before Monterey, as exhibited by the returns ac- 
companying his official report, was four hundred and 
twenty-five officers, and six thousand two hundred and 
twenty men. His artillery consisted of one ten inch 
mortar, two twenty-four pounder howitzers, and four 
light field batteries of four guns each — the mortar being 
the only piece suitable to the operations of a siege. His 
loss is twelve officers and one hundred and eight men 
killed ; thirty-one officers and three hundred and thirty- 
seven men wounded. That of the enemy is not known, 
but is believed considerably to exceed our own. 

In his detailed account of the capture, he warmly 



GALLANTRY OF OFFICERS. 



209 



commended to the government the good conduct of the 
troops, both regulars and volunteers, which he declared 
had been conspicuous throughout all his operations 
against the city, and he bore testimony to their coolness 
and constancy in battle, and the cheerfulness with 
which they submitted to exposure and privation. To 
the general officers commanding divisions— Major-Gen- 
erals Butler and Henderson, and Brigadier-Generals 
Twiggs and Worth— he expressed himself under many 
obligations for the efficient aid which they rendered him 
in their respective commands. He expressed himself 
unfortunate in being deprived, early on the 21st, of the 
valuable services of Major-General Butler, who was 
disabled by a wound received in the attack on the city. 
Major-General Henderson, commanding the Texan 
volunteers, rendered important aid in the organization 
of his command, and its subsequent operations. Brig- 
adier-General Twiggs rendered important services with 
his division, and, as the second in command, after Ma- 
jor-General Butler was disabled. Brigadier-General 
Worth was intrusted with an important detachment, 
which rendered his operations independent of General 
Taylor's. These operations were conducted with abil- 
ity, and crowned with complete success. Brigadier- 
Generals Hamer and Quitman, commanding brigades in 
General Butler's division : Lieutenant-Colonels Garland 
and Wilson, commanding brigades in General Twiggs' 
division ; Colonels Mitchell, Campbell, Davis and Wood, 
commanding the Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Sec- 
ond Texas regiments, respectively ; and Majors Lear 
Allen, and Abercrombie, commanding the Third, Fourth 
and First regiments of infantry ; all of whom served 
under his immediate direction, and conducted their com- 
mands with so much coolness and gallantry against the 
9* 



210 COMMENDED TO THE GOVERNMENT. 

enemy as to entitle themselves to his most favorable 
notice. 

Colonel Mitchell, Lieutenant-Colonel McClung, Mis- 
sissippi regiment, Major Lear, Third infantry, and Ma- 
jor Alexander, Tennessee regiment, were all severely 
wounded, as were Captain Lamotte, First infantry, 
Lieutenant Graham, Fourth infantry. Adjutant Arm- 
strong, Ohio regiment, Lieutenants Scudder and Allen, 
Tennessee regiment, and Lieutenant Howard, Mis- 
sissippi regiment, while leading their men against 
the enemy's position on the 21st and 23rd. After the 
fall of Colonel Mitchell, the command of the First Ohio 
regiment devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Weller ; 
that of the Third infantry, after the fall of Major Lear, 
devolved in succession upon Captain Brainbridge and 
Captain Henry, the former being also wounded. The 
following named officers were favorably noticed by their 
respective commanders : Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson 
and Adjutant Heiman, Tennessee regiment ; Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel McClung, Captains Cooper and Downing ; 
Lieutenants Batterson, Calhoun, Moore, Russel, and 
Cook, Mississippi regiment ; also Sergeant-Major Hear- 
lan, Mississippi regiment ; and Major Price and Captain 
J. R. Smith, unattached, but serving with it. General 
Taylor also called attention to the good conduct of Cap- 
tain Johnson, Ohio regiment, and Lieutenant Hooker, 
First artillery, serving on the staff of General Hamer, 
and of Lieutenant Nichols, Second artillery, on that of 
General Quitman. Captains Bragg and Ridgeley served 
wdth their batteries during the operations under the 
general's owp 'observation, and in part under his imme- 
diate orders, and exhibited distinguished skill and gal- 
lantry. Captain Webster, First artillery, assisted by 
Lieutenants Donaldson and Bowen, rendered good ser- 



GOOD CONDUCT OF SOLDIERS. 211 

vice with ihe howitzer battery, which was much ex- 
posed to the enemy's fire on tlie 21st. 

From the nature of the operations, the Second dra- 
goons were not brought into action, but were usefully 
employed, under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel 
May, as escorts, and in keeping open our communica- 
tions. The First Kentucky regiment was also pre- 
vented from participating in the action of the 21st, but 
rendered highly important services, under Colonel 
Ormsby, in covering the mortar battery, and holdmg 
in check the enemy's cavalry during the day. 

Besides these officers, whose conduct fell under his 
own immediate observation, he particularly referred to 
the reports of division commanders, for a notice of other 
officers, and warmly approved their recommendations. 
To the officers of his personal staff and of the engi- 
neers, topographical engineers, and ordnance, associated 
with him, he expressed himself under many obligations 
for the valuable and efficient assistance he derived from 
them during the operations. Colonel Whiting, assistant 
quartermaster-general. Colonels Croghan and Belknap, 
inspectors-general, Major Bliss, assistant adjutant-gen- 
eral. Captain Sibley, assistant quartermaster. Captain 
Wago-aman, commissary of subsistence, Captain Eaton 
and Lieutenant Garnett, aides-de-camp, and Majors 
Kirby and Van Buren, pay department, were also fa- 
vorably noticed for their promptness in communicating 
his orders and instructions. He also expressed his par- 
ticular obligations to Brevet-Major Mansneld and Lieu- 
tenant Scarritt, corps of engineers. They both ren- 
dered most important services in reconnoitring the 
enemy's positions, conducting troops in attack, and 
strengthening the works captured from the enemy. 
Major Mansfield, though wounded on the 21st, remained 



213 DEATH OF CAPTAIN WILLIAMS. 

on duty during that and the following day, until con- 
fined by his wound to camp. Captain Williams, topo- 
gi'aphical engineers, was, to the great regret of General 
Taylor and loss of the service, mortally wounded while 
fearlessly exposing himself in the attack of the 21st. 
Lieutenant Pope, of the same corps, was active and 
zealous throughout the operations. Major Munroe, 
chief of the artillery. Major Craig, and Captain Ram- 
sey, of the ordnance, were assiduous in the perform- 
ance of their proper duties. The former superintended 
the mortar service on the 22nd, as particularly men- 
tioned in the report of General Worth. 

Surgeon Craig, medical director, was actively em- 
ployed in the important duties of his department, and 
the medical stalT generally were unremitting in their 
duties with the regular regiments, being rendered un- 
commonly arduous by the small number serving in the 
field. 

Little need be added to this authentic account of the 
brilliant operations of our army against this strongly 
fortified and powerfully defended city, and of the glo- 
rious termination of the long and bloody struggle 
against it. The details of the capture are almost lit- 
erally the language of General Taylor himself, and may, 
therefore, be relied upon as official. That it is eloquent 
from the very simplicity and modesty with which it 
describes one of the most brilliant achievements of 
modern times, need not be told the reader. But yet, 
as all may well imagine, there must necessarily have 
been numerous incidents and personal adventures of 
4eeply exciting interest, that could not be related in an 
official dispatch, Many of these are supplied by the 
following niemorandum of events during the progress 
of the siege and storming of the city, by si porrespon- 



FURTHER DETAILS OF THE ACTION. 213 

dent of the New Orleans papers. This supplies what- 
ever of interest has been omitted, and gives a perfect 
history of the transactions of the American army be- 
fore Monterey, and of the capture of the strongest city 
in Mexico, with the exception of Vera Cruz. 

Sejnember 19, 1846. This has been a day of excite- 
ment and interest to our isolated little armv. The oren- 
eral left the camp at San Francisco this morning at 
sunrise, and by eight o'clock the whole column was in 
motion, the Texas Rangers, and Colonel May with a 
squadron of dragoons, in advance. The men started 
off briskly, and the road was fine. After two hours' 
march, a bridge was found broken up by the Mexicans. 
A cornfield near at hand afforded materials for filling 
up the place, and the army proceeded over the first 
corn-stalk bridge I ever heard of. When within about 
four or five miles of the city, we heard a brisk cannon- 
ading. Some of the men had just previous to this be- 
gun to lag, some suffered from blistered feet, and others 
from the intensity of the heat, but no sooner did the 
sound of cannon reach their ears, than they straight- 
ened themselves up and pressed forward with an eager- 
ness which showed that their sufferings were all forgot- 
ten. Captain Scott, (the veritable,) or rather now 
Major Scott, who commands the Fifth infantry, marched 
immediately before us, and the moment the brave old 
soldier heard the enemy's cannon, he drove his spurs 
into his horse and pranced about his regiment as if he 
would give a liberal portion of his life to be at Monterey. 

Captain Miles, commander of the Seventh infantry, 
by whose side I was riding at the moment, likewise 
rose in his stirrups, with his keen black eyes sparkling, 
and his nostrils slightly dilated, and gave orders to his 
regiment to close up ; but his orders were useless, for 



214 EAGERNES3 FOR THE CONFLICT. 

the noble fellows were already pressing on the staff, to 
the very rumps of the horses. Again, again and again, 
the noise of the twelve-pounders reverberated through 
the lofty mountains which rose before us and upon 
each side, and a buzz, a suppressed hurrah, ran through 
the line. The officers ran their eyes over their com- 
mands with looks of pride and confidence, and the men 
returned the glance, as if to say " we are ready," and 
pressed on still more eagerly. I rode out of the column 
and fell back to look at the Louisiana boys. Every 
eye among them was bright with eager excitement. 
Captain Blanchard, and Lieutenants Tenbrink and the 
two brothers Nicholls, wore a peculiar smile upon their 
countenances, an expression that I shall never forget. 
I translated its meaning thus : " Now we are about to 
be rewarded for all sacrifices and toils, and we will show 
old Louisiana that we can represent her worthily, 
though our numbers are small." They regretted the 
absence of their fellow-citizens who had returned to 
their quiet homes, for they well knew how many a 
brave heart would burn with bitter disappointment and 
laudable envy, could their returned friends but see 
them and know their feelings at that moment. 

On reaching the place of encampment we came up 
with General Worth, riding his horse in beautiful style. 
'A handsomer officer than he appeared then I never 
saw. Every one marked the change that had suddenly 
come over him. From the somewhat dejected air, and 
saddened countenance that he is said to have worn of 
late, Richard was now himself again — and the gallant 
soldier, forgetting all his cares, now appeared before 
us, the personification of an accomplished military 
chieftain. His handsome face was lighted up with a 
proud, but affable smile, as he motioned gracefully to 



PROSPECTS OF A BLOODY FIGHT. 215 

his officers, pointing out to them the direction they 
were to take with their respective commands, and not 
a man who saw him, but what would at that moment 
have followed him to the cannon's mouth. Such is the 
feeling manifested by the whole army — which renders 
this body of men invincible. 

This evening the enemy's batteries have been opened 
again upon a reconnoitring party of ours. Generals 
Taylor, Worth, Twiggs, and others, have been out, 
looking at their works. 

Nine o'clock, p. m. An attack is expected, and every 
man in the army will rest to-night on his arms. A 
night attack is what a soldier dislikes very much, be- 
cause it is then difficult to distinguish friend from foe. 

September 20. Everything remained quiet last night. 
To-morrow an attempt will be made to take Monterey. 
A stout resistance is expected, for the town is strongly 
fortified, as well as the heights that command it, and 
the enemy has troops and ammunition enough there to 
defend it. A movement will no doubt be made to- 
night. No one expects an easy victory ; on the other 
hand, all have made up their minds to see much blood 
shed. It is believed that a large number of the ene- 
my is in our rear — in fact there is little doubt on the 
subject. 

September 24. This is the fourth day since the bat- 
tle of Mop+erey commenced. On the 20th at noon, 
General V\ orth marched from the camp east of the 
town in the direction of the heights west of the town, 
McCullough's and Gillespie's companies of rangers 
forming the reconnoitring party. At night the division 
bivouacked almost within range of the guns stationed 
upon the highest point of the hill, on which the Bishop's 
Palace is situated. At daylight of the 21st, the column 



216 INCIDENTS OF THE ATTACK. 

was again in motion, and in a few moments was turn- 
ing the point of a ridge which protruded out towards 
the enemy's guns, bringing us as near to them as their 
gunners could desire. They immediately opened upon 
the column with a howitzer and twelve-pounder, firing 
shell and round shot as fast as they could discharge 
their ]»ieces. 

The road now wound in towards a gorge, but not 
far enough to be out of range of their guns, which 
still played upon us. Another ridge lay about three- 
fourths of a mile beyond the first, around the termination 
of which the road wound, bringing it under the lofty 
summit of a height which rises between Palace Hill 
and the mountains which rise over us on the west. 
When the head of the column approached this ridge, a 
body of Mexican cavalry came dashing around the 
point to charge upon our advance. Captain Gillespie 
immediately ordered his men to dismount and place 
themselves in ambush. The enemy evidently did not 
perceive this manoeuvre, but the moment they came 
up, the Texans opened upon them a most effective 
fire, unsaddling a number of them. McCullough's 
company now dashed into them — Captain C. F. Smith's 
camp and Captain Scott's camp of artillery, (acting as 
infantry,) and Lieutenant Longstreet's company of the 
Eighth infantry, with another company of the same 
regiment, likewise charged upon the enemy. The 
Texan horsemen were soon engaged with them in a 
sort of hand-to-hand skirmish, in which a number of 
tho enemy fell, and one Texan was killed and two 
wounded. 

Colonel Duncan now opened upon them with his 
battery of light artillery, pouring a few discharges of 
grape among thorn, and scattering them like chafl^. 



IXCIDENTS OF THE ATTACK. 217 

Several men and horses fell under this destructive fire. 
I saw one horse and rider bound some feet into the air, 
and both fell dead and tumbled down the steep. The 
foot companies above named then rushed up the steep 
and fired over the ridge at the retreating enemy, a con- 
siderable body of whom were concealed from our view, 
around the point of the hill. About thirty of the 
enemy were killed in this skirmish, and among them a 
captain, who, with two or three others, fell in the read. 
The captain was wounded in three places, the last shot 
hitting him in the forehead. He fought gallantly to the 
last, and I am sorry that I cannot learn his name. 

The light batteries, one of which is commanded by 
Lieutenant Mackall, were now driven up on the slope 
of the ridge, and the howitzers opened upon the height 
of Palace Hill. A few shells only were thrown before 
the enemy commenced firing with a nine-pounder from 
the height immediately over the right of the column, 
aiming at Duncan's batteries. The several regiments 
took positions, and a few more shells were thrown 
towards Palace Hill, but did no execution. The nine- 
pounder continued to throw its shot, with great pre- 
cision, at our batteries, one ball falling directly in the 
midst of the pieces, but fortunately hitting neither men 
nor guns. Finding his batteries thus exposed, and 
unable to effect anything, Colonel Duncan removed his 
command to a rancho about half a mile farther up the 
Saltillo road, where General Worth took up his position, 
after ordering the foot regiments to form along the fence, 
near the point of the ridge. The artillery battalion. 
Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth infantry, and the Louisiana 
volunteers, remained in this position about two hours, 
directly under the fire of the enemy's guns, (now two.) 
The balls fell directlv in their midst all this time with- 



218 DANGEROUS ENTERPRISE. 

out wounding a man ! To begin with, the Mexicans 
manage their artillery in battery as well as the Ame- 
ricans do — this, I believe is now conceded by every 
officer. 

At half-past ten the column moved towards the 
general's position. At this time, Captain McKavett, 
of the Eighth infantry, was shot through the heart by 
a nine-pound ball, and a private of the Fifth infantry 
was severely wounded in the thigh, and he died the 
next morning. About fifty Mexicans now appeared 
upon the side hill, over the moving column, and fired 
at our troops some hundred musket shot, without doing 
any harm. The division deployed into the position 
pointed out, and remained an hour or two, when Cap- 
tain C. F. Smith of the artillery battalion, with two 
companies (his own and Captain Scott's,) and four 
companies of Texas rangers on foot, were ordered to 
storm the second height. This the gallant officer 
cheerfully undertook, and was followed with enthu- 
siasm by the officers and men of his command. It was 
considered on all sides to be a dangerous undertaking, 
and his party was considered most emphatically a 
forlorn hope. That the height would be taken, no one 
doubted, but that many brave fellows would fall in the 
attempt, seemed inevitable. The distance to be climbed 
after reaching the foot of the hill, was about a quarter 
of a mile ; a part of the way was almost perpendicular, 
and through thorn-bushes and over sharp pointed rocks 
and loose sliding stones. 

The Seventh infantry commanded by Captain Miles, 
was ordered to support Captain Smith's party, and by 
marching directly to the foot of the height, arrived be- 
fore Captain Smith, who had been ordered to take a 
circuitous route. Captain Miles sent up Lieutenant 



GALLANTLY ACCOMPLISHED. 219 

Gantt with a detachment of men, upon the hill side, to 
divert the attention of the enemy from Captain Smith's 
command, which could not yet be seen. The Seventh 
had already sustained a heavy fire of grape and round 
shot, as they forded the San Juan, which winds around 
the foot of the height, which fell like a shower of hail 
in their ranks, without killing a man. Lieutenant 
Gantt's party were greeted with grape and round shot, 
which cut the shrubs and tore up the loose stones in the 
ranks without killing any one ; but the gallant young 
officer came within an inch of being killed by a cannon 
ball, which ran down the steep and filled his face with 
fragments of rock, dust and gravel. The fire was ac- 
companied by a constant discharge of musketry, the 
enemy covering the upper part of the hill side, but the 
detachment continued to move up, driving the Mexicans 
back, until they were recalled. 

Captain Smith's party now arrived and moved up 
the hill, the rangers in advance, and did not halt for 
an instant until the Mexicans were driven from the 
summit. Whilst this was going on. Colonel Persifer 
F. Smith, who commanded the Fifth and Seventh in- 
fantry — the Fifth, with Blanchard's Louisiana boys, 
under Major Martin Scott, had been ordered to sup- 
port the whole — gave orders for these commands to 
pass around on each side and storm the fort, which was 
situated about half a mile back of the summit on the 
same ridge, and commanded the Bishop's Palace. Such 
a foot-race as now ensued, has seldom, if ever been 
seen ; the Louisiana boys making tremendous strides 
to be in with the foremost. Captain Smith had the 
gun which he took upon the height run down towards 
the breastwork, and fired into it. Then came Colonel 
P. F. Smith's men, with a perfect rush, firing and 



220 STORMING A FORT. 

cheering — the Fifth and Seventh, and Louisianians, 
reaching the ridge above nearly at the same time. 

The Mexicans fired at them with grape, but it did 
not save them, or cause an instant's hesitation in our 
ranks. Our men run, and fired, and cheered, until 
they reached the work, the foremost entering at one 
end, whilst the Mexicans, about one thousand in num- 
ber, left the other in retreat. The colors of the Fifth 
infantry were instantly raised, and scarcely were they 
up before those of the Seventh were alongside. The 
three commands entered the fort together, so close was 
the race — the Fifth, however, getting an advance, were 
in first. J. W. Miller, of Blanchard's company, was 
among the first four or five who entered. The three 
commands may be said to have come out even in the 
race, for the Seventh was not five seconds behind. In 
less than five minutes the gun found in the fort was 
thundering away at the Bishop's Palace ! 

More ammunition was found than our troops will 
use, with the three guns which were captured. One 
of the guns was found concealed. They are nine- 
pound brass pieces. Several mules and half a dozen 
beautiful tents were likewise captured. Killed, none. 
Wounded, in Seventh infantry. Lieutenant Potter, 
bullet through the calf of the leg ; Orderly Sergeant 
Hurdle, of company K; Corporal S. P. Oakley, se- 
riously, in the thigh. Corporal Oakley is from New 
York city, and a very intelligent, well-educated man, 
as well as a good soldier. Private White — the same 
who captured the Mexican officer's trunk at Marin, 
and who received it and its contents from General 
Taylor — wounded in the head. Fifth infantry, killed, 
none ; wounded — Lieutenant Russell, in the arm ; 
Sergeant-major Brand, badly, in the mouth, with a 



INSTANCES OF INDIVIDUAL COURAGE. 221 

musket ball. Privates McManus and Gmbb, slightly 
wounded — Sergeant Uptergraph, color-bearer, distin- 
guished himself by his gallantry. 

Thus was this brilliant coup de main made almost 
without bloodshed. I have not time to give the par- 
ticulars of this glorious affair. Captain C. F. Smith, 
was in the advance, with McCall, at the battle of Res- 
aca de la Palma, and is one of the most gallant and ac- 
complished officers in the army — so say all his fellow- 
officers whom I have heard speak of him. Colonel P. 
F. Smith — General Smith, of Louisiana — distinguished 
himself on that occasion, as did Major Scott and Cap- 
tain Miles, and in truth every officer and man did his 
duty nobly. 

The gallant conduct of Captain Blanchard and Lieu- 
tenant Tenbrink, and the two brothers NichoUs, are 
praised by all the officers who were there. In truth, 
the Louisiana boys have fought every day for four 
days, and I assure you, as General Worth's report will 
bear me out in saying, and as every officer in the Sec- 
ond division will testify, that this corps has distin- 
guished itself on every occasion where they have been 
called on. The sons of Judge Nicholls, of Donaldson- 
ville, have stood fire four or five hours at a time, driv- 
ing the enemy — under their battery — from bush to bush, 
and rock to rock, and at last were among the foremost 
to rush into the Bishop's Palace and take it by storm. 
Captain Blanchard and his company have already 
made a reputation that will not soon be forgotten. S 
G. Allen, private of this company, was mortally 
wounded in this fight, and died next morning. Cap- 
tain Smith had no one killed or wounded in his party 
of regulars — two Texans were wounded, viz. : William 
Carley and B. F. Keese. 



222 A BARBAROUS DEED. 

September 24. I date both my letters on one day, 
because I am obliged to foot up the news of the last 
four days, having had no writing materials along. 
Even now, though I write in a palace, I am obliged to 
hold the sheet of paper in one hand on my knee, for 
want of a desk. But I have no time for extra remarks 
— a chance offers to send you the news, and I must 
hurry to give you a glance at what has been done here, 
before the express goes off. On the morning of the 
21st, Colonel Childs, of the artillery battalion, with 
three of his companies — one commanded by Captain 
Vinton, another by Captain J. B. Scott, and the third 
by Lieutenant Ayres, and three companies of the 
Eighth infantry — company A. commanded by Lieu- 
tenant Longstreet and Lieutenant Wainright ; com- 
pany B, Lieutenant Holloway commanding and Lieu- 
tenant Merchant ; company D, Captain Scrivner and 
Lieutenant Montgomery — was ordered to take the 
summit of Palace Hill. 

The colonel left the camp at three o'clock, a. m., 
and climbed the mountain through the chapparal and 
up the steep rocks, with such secrecy, that at daybreak 
he was within one hundred yards of the breastwork of 
sand-bags before he was discovered. Three of the ar- 
tillerymen, having rushed ahead too fast, found them- 
selves in the hands of the Mexicans. They surren- 
dered : the Mexicans took their muskets, and shot them 
down with the very pieces they had given up. I saw 
the poor fellows lying there. 

I have but a few moments left to write in, and must 
therefore defer the particulars of the storming of the 
palace until I have more time. Colonel Staniford went 
up at daylight with the balance of the Eighth, and 
Major Scott led up the Fifth. The Louisiana boys 



CAPTURE OF THE BISHOP S PALACE. 223 

were on the hill with the Fifth, at eight o'clock, a. m. 
One of Duncan's howitzers, in charge of Lieutenant 
Rowland, was dragged up, or rather lifted up, and 
opened on the Palace, which was filled with troops. 
The Mexicans charged on the howitzer, but were 
driven back. A constant firing was kept up for seve- 
ral hours, particularly by Blanchard's men, who left a 
dozen Mexicans dead upon the hill side. At length a 
charge was ordered, and our men rushed down upon 
the Palace, entered a hole in a door that had been 
blocked up, but opened by the howitzer, and soon 
cleared the work of the few Mexicans that remained. 
Lieutenant Ayres was the lucky one who first reached 
the halyards and lowered the flag. One eighteen-pound 
brass piece, a beautiful article, manufactured in Liver- 
pool in 1842, and a short brass twelve-pound howitzer, 
were captured, with a large quantity of ammunition, 
and some muskets and lances. 

The fort adjoining the Palace walls is not complete, 
but is very neatly constructed, as far as it is built. 
The killed on our side, in taking the Palace, were 
seven — wounded, twelve. Lieutenant Wainwright 
was wounded in the side and arm by a musket-ball, 
but will soon recover, it is hoped. Mr. John Francis, 
of New Orleans, belonging to Blanchard's company, 
was killed. Colonel Childs, Captain Vinton, Captain 
Blanchard, Lieutenant Longstreet, Lieutenant Clark 
(adjutant of the Eighth,) Lieutenant Ayres, Lieutenant 
McCown, and the two Nicholls, seem to have been the 
heroes of the day. The two latter performed prodigies, 
and not only Judge Nicholls, but old Louisiana may 
well be proud of such sons. The Mexicans lost at 
least thirty killed — twenty-one had been buried this 
morning, and I have seen a number lying on the hill- 



224 GALLANTRY OF GENERAL WORTH. 

side, that were not discovered by our men when they 
brought in the dead. 

Yesterday morning the whole division under Gen- 
eral Worth entered the town on this side, and have 
been fighting there ever since. The heart of the city 
is nothing but one fortification, the thick walls being 
pierced for muskets and cannon, and placed so as to 
rake the principal streets. The roofs being flat, and 
the front walls rising three or four feet above the roof, 
of course every street has a line of breastworks on 
each side. A ten-inch mortar came round from Gen- 
eral Taylor last evening, and it is now placed in the 
largest plaza, to which our troops have fought step by 
step, and from house to house. Duncan's batteries are 
in town, and the present impression is that the place 
will soon be taken. General Worth has gained all the 
strongholds that command the city, and has pushed the 
enemy as far as they can go without falling into Gen- 
eral Taylor's hands on the other side of the city. All 
this has been done with the loss of only about seventy 
killed and wounded. 

The achievement is a glorious one — sufficient to 
satisfy the ambition of any man on earth. I was ex- 
pecting to see General Worth rushing his men into un- 
necessary danger, in order to win for them and himself 
great military fame, but his conduct has been very 
different from this. His great study has been to gain 
these commanding points with the least possible sacri- 
fice of life. At first it seemed totally impossible to 
storm these heights — it looked like charging upon the 
clouds — but it has been done. The Bishop's Palace, 
which is as strong as it has been represented to be, has 
been stormed and taken by our brave soldiers. I 
should have stated that Colonel Hays, with a body of 



SERVICES OF THE TEXAN RANGERS. 225 

his troops, and Captains Gillespie and McCulloch, were 
at the taking of the Palace. Captain Gillespie was 
mortally wounded, and died yesterday morning regret- 
ted by the whole army. 

I cannot keep up, at all, with the rangers. Their 
services have been invaluable to General Taylor, from 
the commencement of the campaign. They fight with 
all the steadiness of old soldiers— and are constantly 
on the move. The country owes them much for their 
noble conduct. I say nothing, as yet, about General 
Taylor's proceedings on the other side of the town, 
because the information I have received is not well 
authenticated. Mr. Kendall and I both came out with 
this division, neither knowing that the other was com- 
ing with it, until it was too late to return, and there is 
no"" communication between the divisions except by 
armed bodies of men. The general has, however, 
taken three batteries near the town, on the other side, 
in doing which he has lost about three hundred men, 
killed and wounded ! I do not know the exact number 
killed, but will be able to ascertain before this letter 
goes— and will try to give other particulars. 

General Taylor has arrived at General Worth's 
headquarters to-day, and is now engaged in town with 
Ampudia's messengers, considering the enemy's pro- 
posals for surrendering the town and the large fort at 
the north-east side of it. That fort is very strong, 
and is believed to contain at least twenty guns. Hos- 
tiUties have ceased until the conference shall be con- 
cluded. There must be an immense quantity of 
property in town, particularly arms and ammunition. 

I should have mentioned that the Second division 
marched from camp with only two days' rations, and 
no tents. A large majority of the officers, and many 
10 



226 TERMS OF CAPITULATION UNSATISFACTORY. 

of the men, worked and climbed mountains, chased 
the enemy, and fought forty-eight hours, with nothing 
to eat but raw corn. Much of the two days' rations 
were spoiled by the rains, and as the troops were fre- 
quently ordered off at an instant's notice, they left their 
haversacks behind. 

There have been from ten to fifteen thousand troops , 
at this place ever since we have been here, but they' 
are leaking out, in citizens' clothes, as fast as they can 
dodge off. As soldiers, there is no escape for them. 

Septembei' 25. The city has capitulated. Many 
persons, particularly the Texan volunteers, who fought 
so bravely, are displeased at these terms. The town 
was all but in our hands, and, could they be believed, 
would have been taken in three hours. I believe that 
it would have required much more hard fighting to 
have taken it, but this was not the question with Gen- 
eral Taylor. He and his officers knew perfectly well, 
of course, that the town could soon be taken, but he 
wanted no prisoners to take up his time and eat up his 
substance ; but he did have an object in view which 
will be reached by the terms of this capitulation, and 
that object will lead to a result most beneficial to our 
government, under whose advice or orders General 
Taylor acted in agreeing to these terms. As I have a 
few moments to spare before the express goes out this 
morning, (he was detained last night by the slow pro- 
gi'ess of business with Ampudia,) I will speak of the 
operations of General Taylor on his side of the town. 

Major Mansfield, of the Engineers, reconnoitred 
the enemy's works on the night of the 19th, but could 
obtain no very accurate information, although he ap- 
proached very near to some of them on the heights. 
On the 20th, Lieutenant Scarritt and Lieutenant Pope 



OPERATIONS OF GEXERAL TAYLOR. 227 

were sent out to reconnoitre the works, Scarritt on the 
right and Pope on the left of the town. The latter 
approached and discovered the position of a battery 
on the extreme left, and was exposed to a fire of can- 
non and musketry from lancers, from which, after 
finishing his observations, he retired in safety. On 
the night of the 20th, the mortar and howitzer batte- 
ries were placed in a position to play on the strong- 
holds around the citadel. The action commenced on 
the morning of the 21st, by the opening of these two 
batteries. Colonel Garland's brigade was ordered to 
move to the left for the purpose of storming the bat- 
tery discovered by Lieutenant Pope the day before, 
and to occupy, if possible, the lower part of the city. 
Major Mansfield, Captain Williams, and Lieutenant 
Pope were ordered in advance, to select the most 
available point of attack, and to direct the movements 
of the column upon it. Three companies were thrown 
forward as skirmishers, and advanced rapidly towards 
the works, followed by the brigade in line of battle, 
under a cross fire of artillery from the citadel and 
fort, and a heavy fire of musketry. 

The column charged into a street about two hundred 
yards to the right of the battery, passed the works 
entirely, and effected an entrance into the tower. After 
advancing rapidly about four hundred yards beyond 
the battery, they came immediately in front of a masked 
battery of artillery and musketry, which swept the 
street completely by its range. The barricades of the 
streets at sixty yards distance from the head of the 
column, were lined with Mexican troops, who, entirely 
covering themselves, opened a murderous discharge of 
grape and musketry upon the advancing column. 
Every house in the street was pierced for musketry, 



228 OFFICERS KILLED AND WOUNDED. 

and enfiladed the street in every direction. Under 
this fire the following officers were killed or mortally 
wounded : Major Barbour, Third infantry, by gi'ape 
shot in the abdomen ; Captain Williams, topographi- 
cal engineers, shot through the body by a musket ball, 
fell into the street, and was carried into the doorway 
of a house by Lieutenant Pope, amidst a shower of 
balls that covered him with dust. The gallantry of 
this young officer, now in his first battle, is spoken of 
in admiration by the army. Captain Williams died 
the next day, and was buried with the honors of w^ar 
by the Mexican troops, into whose hands he had 
fallen. Lieutenant Merritt, First infantry, shot through 
the body, and died the next day. 

Wounded — Major Mansfield, ball through calf of the 
leff. This brave officer would not leave on account 

o 

of his wound, but rode about, behaving in the most 
gallant manner, all day. Captain Bainbridge, Third 
infantry, slightly wounded in the hand. Major Lear, 
dangerously wounded in the mouth, the ball passing out 
at the back of his head. Major Abercrombie, First 
infantry, severely wounded. Lieutenant R. Graham, 
Fourth infantry, severely wounded in both legs and 
body ; hopes are entertained of his recovery. A great 
number of men killed and wounded — number not 
known. 

It being impossible, in the opinion of the engineer 
officers, to effect anything in attacking the barricades 
in front, the column moved rapidly up a street to the 
right, with the intention of turning them. Being rein- 
forced by the Ohio regiment, a second charge was 
made, under the direction of General Butler, which, 
owing to the tremendous fire of musketry and grape 
from the barricades and stone houses, likewise proved 



MISSISSIPPI VOLUNTEERS. 



229 



ineffectual. The troops were then ordered by General 
Taylor to retire in good order, and get under cover 
from the enemy's fire, which order was handsomely 
executed. 

During the engagement in town, of Garland's bri- 
gade, the forts that were passed on the left, in entering 
the town, were gallantly carried by the Mississippi 
and Tennessee regiments — the first commanded by 
Colonel Campbell, and the second by Colonel Davis. 
Colonel McClung, of the Mississippi regiment, was 
dangerously wounded. These regiments sustained a 
great loss of killed and wounded, but I cannot, in the 
short time left me, ascertain the names or the number 
of those who fell. Captain Bragg's battery of light 
artillery was brought into action, but it being impossi- 
ble to use it effectively, it was withdrawn. Several 
pieces of artillery were captured. The forts that were 
taken were occupied by Ridgeley's light artillery com- 
pany, who turned the captured pieces against the 
Mexican works, and the cannonade was kept up the 
rest of the day. There were many skirmishes, and 
gallant deeds, which 1 will mention more minutely at a 
future time. 

On the night of the 22d, the enemy abandoned the 
two works which had proved so destructive to the 
Third and Fourth infantry, and they were occupied 
early next morning by the Mississippi and Tennessee 
regiments, under General Quitman. About eight o'clock 
the same morning, these two regiments advanced on 
the town, and a sharp engagement commenced. These 
troops were supported by a body of Texan rangers 
dismounted for the occasion, under General Hender- 
son, and by the Third regiment of infantry. The 
fight was kept up until four o'clock, p. m., during 



230 A FLAG OF TRUCE. 

which time our troops drove the enemy from house to 
house, almost to the main plaza. The loss of life on 
our side was not severe during this day. On the 
morning of the 24th, a flag of truce was sent in, which 
resulted in the capitulation of the town. 

During the whole of the engagement on the 21st, 
Colonel Kinney was exceedingly useful in carrying 
orders, and in giving advice in matters with which his 
thorough acquaintance with Mexican customs rendered 
him familiar. He was in the thickest of the fight, 
moving about from point to point, and doing good ex- 
ecution with his rifle. This gentleman's services have 
been valuable to General Taylor in the movements of 
the army from Matamoras to this place. He has been 
everywhere reconnoitring the country and procuring 
information — riding day and night, and exposing his 
life in a thousand ways. The colonel never flinched 
from any duty required of him, and, had General 
Taylor ordered him to go and bring him Ampudia's 
portfolio, he would have undertaken it. I devote a 
paragraph to a mention of this gentleman's services 
because he deserves much from the pubhc, for whom 
he has labored so arduously and so efficiently. Our 
killed and wounded in taking Monterey amounted to 
about five hundred — nearly three hundred killed. 
Some time will elapse before the number will be 
known accurately, but it is well known that few prison- 
ers were taken by the Mexicans. 

September 27 , 12 o'clock, night. Didn't I tell you, on 
the 20th, that we should have a '"' fight at Monterey, 
and have a hard one ?" Well, on the 21st the ball 
opened, when our troops approached within one thou- 
sand four hundred yards of Monterey. Our troops ad- 
vanced steadily and firmly, fighting every inch of the 



INCIDENTS OF THE CAPITULATION. 231 

ground, until they drove the Mexicans into the plaza, 
but this took them until the evening of the 24th, (three 
days,) when the Mexicans surrendered the city. 

On the morning of the 24th (half-past eleven o'clock,) 
General Ampudia sent Colonel Moreno to General Tay- 
lor, with a proposition, which General Taylor would 
not accept. He (General Ampudia) wanted to march 
out with all his men, arms, ummunition, &c. General 
Ampudia then requested an interview in person, which 
was granted, and they discoursed until half-past four, 
when General Taylor gave to General Ampudia his 
last and final proposition, and told him he would give 
him one hour to answer. Before the hour was up, the 
answer was returned that General Ampudia accepted 
the terms proposed by General Taylor, which were in 
substance these : 

The Mexican army to evacuate the city, and it to be 
delivered up to the Americans. They should march 
out with their muskets and tw^enty rounds of cartridges, 
and six pieces of cannon. That the Mexican force 
should not appear this side of a line from Riconada 
running through Linares and terminating at Riconada: 
and the Americans should not advance beyond it. 
This gives us Monterey and about thirty miles beyond, 
and puts us in possession of about thirty pieces of can- 
non. 

It would be useless for me now to attempt to tell 
you of the many brillinnt feats of our little army, but I 
will leave it to other times and perhaps to other men, 
(the boat leaves in three minutes,) but will add — both 
regulars and volunteers did all and everything that 
their country could expect. Some things which could 
be done, but ppeared almost impossible, were done 
quickly. 



232 STORMING OF MONTEREY. 

Our loss is reported — killed and v/ounded about five 
hundred — Mexican loss about the same. American 
force six thousand ; Mexican twelve thousand, and the 
advantage of fortifications, and the city fortified at 
every point, even to the tops of the houses. 

The capture of Monterey has been described in 
eloquent terms by a thousand pens, both in prose and 
poetry, and has excited the admiration of Europe as 
v^ell as America. Few military enterprises display 
more cool, determined bravery on the part of soldiers, 
or more true generalship and chivalric bearing than did 
the conduct of General Taylor and his officers, in the 
storming of this city. It is therefore natural that the 
enthusiasm the brilliant event has inspired should have 
found utterance in eloquent verse as well as in sober 
prose. Among the many attempts to give coloring and 
life to the exciting and novel incidents connected with 
the capture of Monterey, the following is probably the 
most heart-stirring and eloquent : 



STORMING OF MONTEREY 

We were not many — we who stood 

Before the iron sleet that daj^— 
Yet many a gallant spirit would 
Give half his head if he but could 

Have been with us at Monterey. 

Now here, now there, the shot it hailed 

In deadly drifts of fiery spray, 
Yet not a single soldier quailed 
When wounded comrades round them wailed 

Their dying shout at IMonterey. 

And on — still on our column kept 
Through walls of flame its withering way j 



STORMING OF xMOXTEREY. 233 

Where fell the dead, the living stept 
Still charging on the guns which swept 
The slippery streets of Monterey. 

The foe himself recoiled aghast, 

When, striking where the strongest lay, 

We swooped his flanking batteries past, 

And braving full their murderous blast, 
Stormed home the towers of Monterey. 

Our banners on those turrets wave, 

And there our evening bugles play ; 
Where orange boughs above their grave 
Keep green the memory of the brave 

Who fought and fell at Monterey. 

We are not many — we who pressed 

Beside the brave who fell that day ; 
But who of us has not confessed 
He'd rather share that warrior rest, 

Than not have been at Monterey. 

The only act of General Taylor's during his whole 
operations in Mexico, and indeed, from the day he en- 
camped at Corpus Christi, which has not received the 
approbation of his government, as even this has, of the 
country, is the terms of capitulation granted to Mexico 
in the surrender of Monterey. It was thought by the 
administration that he should have insisted upon the 
unconditional surrender of the Mexican army. His 
course was not only condemned by the President and 
on the floor of Congress by prominent friends of the 
administration, but an indirect vote of censure was 
passed by the lower house of Congress for his granting 
too liberal conditions to the enemy. The general 
opinion prevails amongst military men, however, and 
those best competent to judge of the power of General 
Taylor to enforce more favorable terms, that they were 
highly honorable to the American arms, and advan- 
10* 



234 GENERAL TAYLOR S DEFENCE. 

tageous to the government ; and further, that they were 
such as humanity and a proper regard for the lives of 
his soldiers dictated. He might have insisted, and 
possibly have forced an unconditional submission ; but 
it would have been at a sacrifice that the advantages 
thus acquired, would not have warranted. The best 
explanation, however, of Taylor's motives, and the best 
defence of his conduct, will be found in the following 
reply to the letter of the Secretary of War : 

" In reply to so much of the communication of the 
Secretary of War, dated October 18th, as relates to the 
reasons which induced the convention resulting in the 
capitulation of Monterey, I have the honor to submit 
the following remarks : 

" The convention presents two distinct points. 
First, the permission granted the Mexican army to re- 
tire with their arms, &c. Secondly, the temporary ces- 
sation of hostilities for the term of eight weeks. I shall 
remark on these in order. 

'* The force with which I marched on Monterey was 
limited by causes beyond my control to about six thou- 
sand men. With this force, as every military man 
must admit, who has seen the ground, it was entirely 
impossible to invest Monterey so closely as to prevent 
the escape of the garrison. Although the main com- 
munication with the interior was in our possession, yet 
one route was open to the Mexicans throughout the 
operations, and could not be closed, as were also other 
minor tracks and passes through the mountains. Had 
we, therefore, insisted on more rigorous terms than those 
granted, the result would have been the escape of the 
body of the Mexican force, with the destruction of its 
artillery and magazines, our only advantage being the 
capture of a few prisoners of war, at the expense of 



Taylor's reasons for his conduct. 235 

valuable lives and much damage to the city. The con- 
sideration of humanity was present to my mind during 
the conference which led to the convention, and out- 
weighed in my judgment the doubtful advantages to b*» 
gained by a resumption of the attack upon the town. 
This conclusion has been fully confirmed by an inspec- 
tion of the enemy's position and means since the sur- 
render. It was discovered that his principal magazine, 
containing an immense amount of powder, was in the 
Cathedral, completely exposed to our shells from two 
directions. The explosion of this mass of powder, 
which must have ultimately resulted from a continuance 
of the bombardment, would have been infinitely disas- 
trous, involving the destruction not only of Mexican 
troops, but of non-combatants, and even our own peo- 
ple, had we pressed the attack. 

" In regard to the temporary cessation of hostilities, 
the fact that we are not at this moment, within eleven 
days of the termination of the period fixed by the con- 
vention, prepared to move forward in force, is a suffi- 
cient explanation of the military reasons which dictated 
this suspension of arms. It paralyzed the enemy dur- 
ing a period when, from the want of necessary means, 
we could not possibly move. I desire distinctly to state, 
and to call the attention of the authorities to the fact, 
that, with all diligence in breaking mules and setting up 
wagons, the first wagons in addition to our original 
train from Corpus Christi, (and but one hundred and 
twenty-five in number,) reached my head-quarters on 
the same day with the secretary's communication of 
October 13th, viz : the 2nd inst. At the date of the 
surrender of Monterey, our force had not more than 
ten days' rations, and even now, with all our endeavors, 
we have not more than twenty-five. The task op 



236 DEFENCE CONTINUED. 

FIGHTING AND BEATING THE ENEMY IS AMONG THE LEAST 

DIFFICULT THAT WE ENCouNTEs — the great question of 
supplies necessarily controls all the operations in a 
country like this. At the date of the convention, I could 
not of course have foreseen that the Department would 
direct an important detachment from my command 
without consulting me, or without w^aiting the result af 
the main operation under my orders. 

" I have touched the prominent military points in- 
volved in the convention of Monterey. There were 
other considerations which weighed with the commis- 
sioners in framing and with myself in approving the 
articles of the convention. In the conference wdth Gen- 
eral Ampudia, I was distinctly told by him that he had 
invited it to spare the further effusion of blood, and be- 
cause General Santa Anna had declared himself favo- 
rable to peace. I knew that our government had made 
propositions to that of Mexico to negotiate, and I deemed 
that the change of government in that country since 
my last instructions, fully warranted me in entertaining 
considerations of policy. My grand motive in moving 
forward with very limited supplies had been to increase 
the inducements of the Mexican Government to nego- 
tiate for peace. Whatever may be the actual views or 
disposition of the Mexican rulers or of General Santa 
Anna, it is not unknown to the Government that I had 
the very best reason for believing the statement of Gen- 
eral Ampudia to be true. It was my opinion at the 
time of the convention, and it has not been changed, 
that the liberal treatment of the Mexican army and the 
suspension of arms, would exert none but a favorable 
influence in our behalf 

" The result of the entire operation has been to throw 
the Mexican army back more than three hundred miles 



THE ADVANTAGES OF THE TERMS. 237 

to the city of San Luis Potosi, and to open the country 
to us as far as we choose to penetrate it up to the same 
point. 

" It has been my purpose in this communication not 
so much to defend the convention from the censure 
which I deeply regret to find implied in the secretary's 
letter, as to show that it was not adopted without co- 
gent reasons, most of which occur of themselves to the 
minds of all who are acquainted with the condition of 
things here. To that end I beg that it may be laid be- 
fore the General-in-Chief and Secretary of War." 

No farther justification of the conduct of General 
Taylor, for the terms of the capitulation, will be re- 
quired, it is confidently believed, than this plain, but dig- 
nified and unansv.'erable statement of the reasons that 
influenced him in not demanding more rigid conditions 
from an enemy yet greatly superior to his own force, 
and capable of a long and bloody resistance, or of cut- 
ting their way from the city. He gained all the ad- 
vantages of a substantial victory, and only submitted 
to an armistice of eight wrecks because he had not the 
power to prosecute further operations in his then weak- 
ened condition. And while he consented to suspend 
hostilities until he should be able to resume them, he 
tied the hands of his enemy during the same time. If, 
therefore, he conceded to the Mexicans certain advan- 
tages, he did so because he had not the ability to with- 
hold them. 

In reference to the concluding sentence of the fore- 
going letter, it is proper to remark, that the correspond- 
ence of General Taylor is addressed to the " Adjutant- 
General of the army," at head-quarters in Washington. 
On the day after it bears date, General Taylor again 
wrote to the Department, saying : " I have formally 



238 LETTER FROM GENERAL TAYLOR. 

notified the Mexican general-in-chief that the tempo- 
rary suspension of arms agreed upon in the convention 
of Monterey will cease on the 13th instant, the date at 
which the notice will probably reach San Luis Po- 
tosi. This notification was sent by Major Graham, 
topographical engineer, who left on the 6th instant. 

" You will perceive from my ' orders' No. 139, what 
arrangements have been made for the occupation of 
Saltillo at the earliest moment by our troops. Whether 
our operations are pushed forward towards San Luis 
or not, the occupation of Saltillo is important — politi- 
cally, as the capital of Coahuila, and, in a military 
view, as covering an important region from which we 
may draw supplies. 

" Brigadier-General Wool, with a portion of his 
force, arrived at Monclova on the 29th of October, and 
is now joined by the rear division. He reports no 
practicable route to Chihuahua, except the one by Par- 
ras, which will bring him within a few leagues of Sal- 
tillo. He inquires what is to be gained by going to 
Chihuahua ? And I am free to answer, nothing at all 
commensurate with the excessive length of his line of 
operations. Chihuahua, moreover, is virtually con- 
quered, and can be occupied at any moment, while we 
hold Saltillo and Santa Fe. I shall instruct General 
Wool to remain at Monclova, where there are supplies, 
until I can determine what disposition to make of his 
column, which cannot be done until I visit Saltillo. 

" I have taken the first steps towards organizing the 
expedition on Tampico, and propose to accompany it, 
for the purpose at least of commanding a covering 
force. There will be some delay for the want of 
means of land transport. 

" The information received since my communication 



HIS CONTEMPLATED MOVEMENTS. 239 

of October 15th, relative to the route hence to San 
Luis, renders it more than probable that, from the 
want of permanent water, it will be impossible to 
march a large force from Saltillo to that city. I hope 
to acquire certain information on this point in a few 

days." 

General Taylor wrote from his camp near Monte- 
rey, on the 12th of November, as follows : " The com- 
munication of the Secretary of War of October 22, 
with its inclosures, by the hands of Major McLane, 
was received this morning. You will have seen by 
my orders, and my dispatch of the 9th, what meas- 
ures have been taken to conclude the armistice and to 
occupy Saltillo. Being advised by special express from 
Matamoras of Major McLane's approach, I had post- 
poned my intended departure this day for Saltillo, until 
his arrival. As I deem it still important to occupy 
that position, for reasons to be explained below, I shall 
march thither to-morrow, according to my first inten- 
tion. On my return— say by the 20th instant— I shall 
probably be able to inform the Department more fully 
on certain important points connected with our oper- 
ations ; but I now avail myself of the return of Major 
McLane to Washington, to state briefly my views on 
some of the topics embraced in the secretary's commu- 
nication. . 

" Without active operations towards San Luis I'o- 
tosi from this quarter, I still deem the occupation of 
Saltillo important for three reasons : First, as a neces- 
sary outpost of the main force at Monterey, covering 
as it does the important defile which leads from the low 
country to the table land, and also the route to Mon- 
clova : Secondly, as controlling a region from which 
we may obtain considerable supplies of breadstufis and 



240 SUGGESTIONS TO HIS GOVERNMENT. 

cattle, viz. : the fertile country around Parras : and, 
Thirdly, as the capital of Coahuila, which renders it 
very important in a political point of view. 

" I have already represented to the department the 
difficulties to be encountered in a forward movement 
upon San Luis, and the amount of force v/hich would 
be necessary to insure success. Those reasons only 
apply to the country beyond Saltillo. I consider the 
occupation of that point as a necessary complement to 
our operations, and to the policy of holding a defensive 
line, as the Sierra Madre, and trust the Department 
will concur with me in this view. 

" As already reported, Brigadier-General Wool is 
now at Monclova, having found no practicable route 
to Chihuahua, save the well-known but very circuitous 
one by Parras. I fully agree with the Department 
that no commensurate benefit is likely to result from 
the march on Chihuahua of General Wool's column, 
and shall accordingly direct him to suspend his move- 
ment in that direction. The occupation of Saltillo in 
force renders it still less necessary that Chihuahua 
should be occupied. I cannot yet determine specifi- 
cally what disposition to make of General Wool's col- 
umn. Meanwhile I have directed him to remain in 
his present position until further orders. 

" In regard to the expedition against Vera Cruz after 
a good deal of reflection upon the subject, I feel bound 
to express my conviction that four thousand men will 
be a force quite too small for the purpose contemplated. 
In my dispatch of October 15th, I stated twenty- five 
thousand troops, of which ten thousand were to be reg- 
ulars, as the least force that should make a descent in 
that quarter, with the view of marching on the capital. 
I now consider that, simply to invest and take Vera 



FORCE REaUIRED TO TAKE VERA CRUZ. 241 

Cruz, and of course hold the position, we should have 
ten thousand troops, of which four thousand, if possible, 
should be regulars. It is quite probable that a smaller 
force, even four thousand, might effect a landing and 
carry the town ; but could they sustain themselves till 
the castle of San Juan de Ulloa should be reduced by 
famine ? The country lying between Vera Cruz and 
the city of Mexico is populous, and at least one portion 
(Puebla) understood to be very loyal. Would not a 
force be brought against us, before the castle could be 
reduced, sufficiently strong to endanger our safety, cut 
off as w^e should be from succor ? When to these con- 
siderations we add the uncertainty of weather during 
the winter season, rendering our communications with 
the fleet liable to interruption, I think it will be seen 
that the force should be large enough not only to land 
and invest the town, but also to hold itself secure 
against any attack from the interior, and for such pur- 
pose I consider ten thousand men quite as small a force 
as should be ventured. 

" A force of ten thousand men cannot be spared from 
the occupation of the line of the Sierra Madre ; four 
thousand may be diverted from that object ; and if to 
these six thousand fresh troops from the United States 
were added at the proper time, the expedition might 
be undertaken with a promise of success. I propose, 
therefore, to proceed w-ith the preparation for a move- 
ment on Tampico, and, after accomplishing every- 
thing that is to be done in that quarter, I will, if the 
Department approve, hold four thousand men, of which 
perhaps three thousand regulars, ready to embark at 
some point on the coast, and effect a junction with the 
additional force from the States. The movement to- 
wards Tampico will not produce any delay if my 



242 ESTABLISHES HIMSELF AT MONTEREY. 

views are adopted ; and I consider it quite important 
to occupy Victoria and the lower portion of Tamauli- 
pas, after securing properly the li*ne to be held in this 
quarter. 

" I conceive it all important, having in view the 
Mexican character, that as little should be left to acci- 
dent as possible, and that we should be careful, as far 
as human foresight can provide, to avoid the smallest 
liability to disaster. A descent upon a hostile coast, 
notoriously dangerous, and in an inclement season of 
the year, is an operation requiring the most careful 
preparations and exact management, and possessing, 
under the most favorable circumstances, more or less 
elements of failure. It seems the part of prudence, 
therefore, to take a sufficient force to meet any contin- 
gency that may arise. 

" Being pressed for time I have given my views 
briefly, and perhaps somewhat crudely, on the most 
important points presented in the dispatch of the sec- 
retary. There are other topics which will probably 
claim my attention, but which must be now passed 
over. I would only suggest that, in the event of an 
expedition to Vera Cruz, the heavy ordnance, engi- 
neers, stores, &c., should be shipped direct from the 
North." 

After the reduction of Montery, General Taylor 
took up his headquarters in that city, and remained 
there during; the armistice, or until it should be termi- 
nated by the orders of either the American or Mexican 
governments, awaitinsr reinforcements, and re-orsfani- 
zing and disciplining his forces, preparatory to his con- 
templated movement upon San Louis Potosi. He was 
also actively employed in establishing and keeping open 
a line of communication between Monterey and the 



TAKES POSSESSION OP SALTILLO. 243 

Rio Grande. On the 13th of November, General Tay- 
lor marched to Saitillo in company with General 
Worth's command, which was designed to operate 
against that city. They took possession of it without 
resistance. General Worth, with a force of eight hun- 
dred men, was left in command, and General Taylor 
returned to Monterey. General Wool, who was at 
Monclova, with a force of two thousand four hundred 
men, was ordered, by General Taylor, to take posses- 
sion of Parras. 

In the meantime Santa Anna, who had returned 
from exile, at Havana, had assembled an army of 
twenty-two thousand men, and concentrated it upon 
San Louis Potosi. This city he strongly fortified, and 
made it a depot for all kinds of provisions and military 
stores. After waiting in vain for many weeks for the 
advance of this powerful army to attack him at Mon- 
terey, General Taylor resolved to make a demonstra- 
tion towards San Louis, with a view of drawing him 
out, and obtaining a battle. On the 15th of December, 
therefore, he left Monterey with two regiments of vol- 
unteers, having three days previously dispatched Gene- 
ral Twiggs, w^ith the main body of the regulars, to form 
a junction with General Patterson at Victoria. On ar- 
riving at Montemorales, however, a messenger reached 
him from Saitillo, informing^ him that General Worti 
the commander at that place, was hourly expecting a 
attack from Santa Anna, at the head of his whole arm} . 
He therefore immediately gave orders for counter- 
marching, and falling back upon Monterey, and from 
thence took up his line of march for Saitillo on the 20th, 
accompanied by General Twiggs' division of regulars. 
But here again be was doomed to be disappointed in 
meeting the enemy. Before he reached Saitillo, he 



244 SCOTT ORDERED TO MEXICO. 

learned that General Worth had been reinforced, by 
the arrival of General Wool's command, and that Santa 
Anna had retreated to his old quarters at San Louis 
Potosi. General Taylor, in consequence of this new 
aspect of affairs, again started for Victoria, and reached 
there on the 30th of December. 

While at this place, he received information that 
General Scott had been ordered to Mexico with the 
view of commanding in person the troops destined for 
the reduction of Vera Cruz. Being the commander-in- 
chief of the army, this act would, as a matter of course, 
place General Taylor in a subordinate position to him. 
But it was understood that it was at the request of 
Taylor that Scott was sent to Mexico. Upon receiv- 
ing orders to repair to Mexico, General Scott v^rote 
the following letter to his old friend and companion in 
arms, for the purpose of informing him of his object 
and intention. The letter was marked confidential, 
but was published with the correspondence between 
General Taylor and the Secretary of War, called for 
by Congress. It is dated at New York, November 23, 
1846, after Scott had departed from Washington for 
Mexico : 

" I left Washington late in the day yesterday, and 
expect to embark for New Orleans the 20th inst. By 
the 12th of December I may be in that city, at Point 
Isabel the 17th, and Camargo, say the 23d — in order 
to be within easy corresponding distance from you. It 
is not probable that I may be able to visit Monterey, 
and circumstances may prevent your coming to me. I 
shall much regret not having an early opportunity of 
felicitating you in person upon your many brilliant 
achievements ; but we may meet somewhere in the in- 
terior of Mexico. 



SCOTT S LETTER TO TAYLOR. 245 

" I am not coming, my dear general, to supersede 
you in the immediate command on the Hne of opera- 
tions rendered illustrious by you and your gallant army. 
My proposed theatre is different. You may imagine 
it ; and I wish very much that it were prudent, at this 
distance, to tell you all that I expect to attempt or hope 
to execute. I have been admonished that dispatches 
have been lost, and I have no special messenger at 
hand. Your imagination will be aided by the letters 
of the Secretary of War, conveyed by Mr. Armistead, 
Major Graham, and Mr. M'Lane. 

But, my dear general, I shall be obliged to take from 
you most of the gallant officers and men, (regulars and 
volunteers,) whom you have so long and so nobly com- 
manded. I am afraid that I shall, by imperious neces- 
sity—the approach of yellow fever on the Gulf coast — re- 
duce you, for a time, to stand on tne aefensive. This will 
be infinitely painful to you, and for that reason distress- 
ing to me. But I rely upon your patriotism to submit 
to the temporary sacrifice with cheerfulness. No man 
can better afford to do so. Recent victories place you 
on the high eminence ; and I even flatter myself that 
any benefit that may result to me, personally, from the 
unequal division of troops alluded to, will lessen the 
pain of your consequent inactivity. 

" You will be aware of the recent call for nine regi- 
ments of new volunteers, including one of Texas 
horse. The president may soon ask for many more ; 
and we are not without hope that Congress may add 
ten or twelve to the regular establishment. These, by 
the spring, say April, may, by the aid of large bounties, 
be in the field— should Mexico not earlier propose 
terms of accommodation ; and, long before the spring 



246 • HIS INTENTIONS. 

(March,) it is probable you will be again in force to 
resume offensive operations. 

" It was not possible for me to find time to write 
from Washington, as I much desired. I only received 
an intimation to hold myself in preparation for Mexico, 
on the 18th instant. Much has been done towards 
that end, and more remains to be executed. 

" Your detailed report of the operations at Monterey, 
and reply to the secretary's dispatch, by Lieutenant 
Armistead, Vv^ere both received two days after I was 
instructed to proceed south." 

This letter, it will be seen, indicates to General 
Taylor the probability that he will be compelled to 
take from him a considerable portion of his troops, as 
well volunteers as regulars. The necessity for this act 
he alleges to be the importance of taking Vera Cruz 
before the approach of the season for the yellow fever, 
or vomito, to make its appearance on the Gulf. The 
following extract from a letter of the Secretary of War 
to General Taylor, dated October 22, 1846, a short 
time before General Scott departed for Mexico, will 
show that in withdrawing so large a number of Gen- 
eral Taylor's forces from him, he was but carrying out 
the wishes of the administration, and was acting under 
instructions from the War Department : 

" I informed you in my last dispatch, that in connec- 
tion with an invasion of Tamaulipas and attack on 
Tampico, an expedition against Vera Cruz was then 
under advisement. UpoA a more full consideration of 
the subject, it is believed that Vera Cruz may be taken, 
and having possession of that city, the castle of San 
Juan de Ulloa might probably be reduced or compelled 
to surrender. If the expedition could go forth without 
the object being known to the enemy, it is supposed 



WITHDRAWAL OF TAYLOr's FORCES. 247 

that four thousand troops would be sufRcient for the 
enterprise, receiving as they would the co-operation of 
our naval force in the Gulf; but at least ff teen hun- 
dred or two thousand of them should he of the regular 
army, and under the command of officers best calculated 
for such an undertaking. In looking at the disposition 
of the troops, it appears to he scarcely possible to get 
the requisite number of regulars without drawing some 
of those now with you at Monterey, or on the way to 
that place. Should you decide against holding military 
possession of any place in Coahuila or Chihuahua, and 
order the troops under General Wool to join you, 
it is presumed that the requisite force for the expedi- 
tion to Vera Cruz could be detached without interfer- 
ing with your plans of operation. 

" You will therefore, unless it materially interferes 
with your own plan of operations, or weakens you too 
much in your present position, make the necessary 
arrangements for having four thousand men, of whom 
fifteen hundred or two thousand should be regular 
troops, ready to embark for Vera Cruz, or such other 
destination as may be given them, at the earliest prac- 
ticable period. The place of embarkation will prob- 
ably be the Brazos Santiago, or in that vicinity." 

Accordingly, about the first of January, the divis- 
ions of Generals Patterson and Pillow, and also the 
brigades of Generals Quitman and Twiggs, as well as 
General Worth, were all detached from him for the 
purpose of acting under General Scott, against Vera 
Cruz and such other points as might dispute his march 
to the capital. Of the policy or necessity of thus 
withdrawing from General Taylor so large a portion 
of his troops, it is difficult to form a correct judgment 
at this distance from the scene of operations, and wi*h 



248 TAYLOR S ADDRESS TO HIS TROOPS. 

the imperfect knowledge of the views of government 
that everyone must possess not in the immediate con- 
fidence of the administration. But it is certain that it 
placed him in a most embarrassing and even dangerous 
position. Upon taking leave of his veteran soldiers, 
the heroes of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and 
Monterey, he addressed them in the following brief, 
but manly and feeling terms : 

"It is with deep sensibility that the commanding 
general finds himself separated from the troops he so 
long commanded. To those corps, regular and volun- 
teer, who have shared wdth him the active services of 
the field, he feels the attachment due to such associa- 
tions, while to those who are making their first cam- 
paign, he must express his regret that he cannot par- 
ticipate with them in its eventful scenes. To all, both 
officers and men, he extends his heartfelt wishes for 
their continued success and happiness, confident that 
their achievements on another theatre will redound to 
the credit of their country and its arms." 

General Taylor continued at Victoria until about 
the last of January, 1847, when he returned to Mon- 
terey. His force now consisted of volunteers, with 
the exception of about four hundred and fifty regular 
troops, including Colonel May's dragoons. In the be- 
ginning of February he was reinforced by new volun- 
teers, which increased his army to about six thousand 
men. With this small force, composed mostly of men 
who had never faced an enemy, and comparatively 
destitute of discipline, but longing to prove by their 
conduct that volunteers know how to fight, and can as 
steadily resist the attack of the foe, or as successfully 
charge upon him, as even veteran soldiers, General 



' SURPRISE OF COLONEL MAY. 249 

Taylor must garrison Monterey, and hold in check the 
overwhelming army of Santa Anna. 

Immediately after arriving at Monterey, General 
Taylor received information that a party of observa- 
tion, consisting of about one hundred picked men, 
under Colonel May, had been surprised at Encarna- 
cion, while attempting to gain some intelligence of the 
enemy, and that Captain Cassius M. Clay, and Majors 
Borland and Gaines had been taken prisoners by a 
Mexican force, under General Minon, of fifteen hun- 
dred men. This unwelcome intelligence, together with 
the belief that Santa Anna might make an attempt to 
re -conquer some of the posts between Monterey and 
the Rio Grande, and thus cut off his communication 
with Matamoras, determined General Taylor to march 
at once to Saltillo, with the view of giving him battle. 
He accordingly took up his march from Monterey on 
the 31st of January, leaving a force of about fifteen 
hundred men to garrison that city, and arrived at Sal- 
tillo on the 2d of February. He had been reinforced, 
in the meantime, by the arrival of five hundred more 
volunteers, w^hich made the effective force under his 
command five thousand strong. Two days after he 
marched to Agua Nueva, a strong position, twenty 
miles from Saltillo, on the San Luis side of that city, 
and encamped there, for the purpose of discipHning his 
troops, and to observe the movements of the enemy. 
He remained in this position until the 21st of February, 
examining the situation of the country, the passes 
through the mountains, and the best point at which to 
await an attack from Santa Anna, should he resolve to 
fight on any terms. On the 21st, information was 
brought him that Santa Anna was advancing at the 
head of his whole army, and w^as then within a short 
11 



250 TAYLOR ENCAMPS AT BUENA VIS'SA. 

distance. Believing Buena Vista, a point twelve miles 
nearer to Saltillo, and eight miles from that city, to be 
a much more favorable position at which to make a 
stand against such overwhelming odds as Santa Anna 
was bringing against him, he fell back to that place, 
and formed his army in order of battle, and calmly 
awaited the approach of the enemy. The account of 
the battle from eye witnesses, and General Taylor's 
official dispatch of the brilliant event, will be found 
in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Battle of Buena Vista. — Taylor's Position. — General Taylor's Line of 
Battle formed. — A Summons to Surrender. — The Battle Commenced. 
— An Attempt to Outflank Taylor. — Flight of the Indiana Regiment. 
— Great Slaughter amongst the Enemy. — Mexican Stratagem. — Al- 
most a Defeat. — Gallant Charge of the Kentucky Regiment. — Ex- 
citement of Taylor. — Death of Colonels McKee and Hardin and 
Lieutenant-Colonel Clay. — Taylor's Official Account of the Battle. 

On the morning of the 21st, our army being encamped 
at Agua Nueva, information was received that the en- 
emy was advancing, when General Taylor ordered the 
troops to fall back upon Buena Vista. Early on the 
22nd, the clouds of dust towards Agua Nueva told that 
the Mexican army was on the advance. At about 
eleven o'clock the long roll of the drum summoned us 
to the field. Our regiments were formed, artillery 
posted, and we availed ourselves of every advantage 
that could be taken of the ground. In a few minutes, 
the leading columns of the enemy were distinctly seen, 
at a distance of two miles, steadily advancing in the 
most perfect order. Some two thousand lancers with 
the artillery, fourteen pieces of different calibre, from 
twenty-fours down, composed the leading division; 
then such a host of infantry and lances as never was 
seen together in Mexico before, I suppose, came into 
full view and filed into position. It was the most grand 
and gorgeous spectacle I ever witnessed ; the sun glan- 
cing from the bright lances and bayonets of the twenty- 



252 ADVANTAGES OF TAYLOr's POSITION. 

one thousand men — the ratthng of their artillery car- 
riages — the prancing of their richly caparisoned horses, 
and the continued sound of their bugles, swelling through 
the air, made up a scene never to be described or for- 
gotten. 

The armies in line of battle were drawn up in a 
mountain pass. On our right was a deep ravine, im- 
praticable to be turned by cavalry or artillery, whilst 
on our left the mountains of " Sierra Madre," towered 
two thousand feet in the skies. A spur of continuous 
hills, running from the mountain nearly to the ravine, 
was occupied by our troops — whilst the space between 
the spur of hills and the ravine, over which the San 
Luis road runs, was occupied by five pieces of light ar- 
tillery commanded by Captain Washington. This was 
our centre, and was most gallantly defended by the 
captain, upon whose battery the enemy played four 
hours with six twenty-four-pounders, planted within 
point-blank rangC; and out of reach of his sixes, without 
making the slightest impression on them. Between the 
two armies were immense ravines, some of them nearly 
fifteen feet deep, the sides covered with loose pebbles, 
and the bottom extremely precipitate and serpentine 
from the heavy washing rains. A smooth piece of 
ground next the mountain, and between it and the head 
of the ravine, some three hundred yards in depth, w^as 
the most accessible point for turning our left flank, if, 
indeed, an army of five thousand two hundred men, dis- 
played over two miles of ground, in the presence of 
such a host, could be considered as having a flank. 
Overlooking Washington's battery, and within near 
musket shot, is a high hill, on the crown of which w^as 
posted the First regiment of Illinois volunteers, to cover 
U\e baltery and save the centre. 



A GORGEOUS SCENE. 253 

As soon as he received intelligence of Santa Anna's 
approach, General Taylor moved forward with May's 
squadron of dragoons, Sherman's and Bragg's batteries 
of artillery, and the Mississippi regiment of riflemen, 
under Colonel Davis, and arrived at the position which 
he had selected for awaiting the attack of the enemy. 
The time and the place, the hour and the man, seemed 
to promise a glorious celebration of the day. It was 
the 22nd of February, the anniversary of that day on 
which the God of battles gave to freedom its noblest 
champion, to patriotism its purest model ; to America 
a preserver, and to the world the nearest realization of 
human perfection — for panegyric sinks before the name 
of Washington. 

The morning w^as bright and beautiful. Not a cloud 
floated athwart the firmament, or dimmed the azure of 
the sky, and the flood of golden radiance which gilded 
the mountain tops, and poured over the valleys, wrought 
light and shade into a thousand fantastic forms. A soft 
breeze sw^ept down from the mountains, rolling into 
graceful undulations the banner of the Republic, which 
was proudly streaming from the towers and battlements 
of Saltillo. The omens were all in our favor. 

In the choice of his position, General Taylor had ex- 
hibited the same comprehensible sagacity and masterly 
coup de a'il, which characterized his dispositions at 
Resaca de la Palma, and which crowned triumphantly 
all his operations amid the blazing lines of Monterey. 
The mountains rise on either side of an irregular and 
broken valley, about three miles in width, dotted over 
with hills and ridges, and scarred with broad and vv^ind- 
ins; ravines. The main road lies alonor the course of 
an arroyo, the bed of which is nov/ so deep as to form 
an almost impossible barrier, while the other side is 



254 GENERAL TAYLOr's LINE OF BATTLE. 

bounded by precipitous elevations, stretching perpen- 
dicularly towards the mountains, and separated by gul- 
lies, until they mingle into one at the base of the prin- 
cipal range. On the right of the narrowest point of the 
road-way, a battalion of the First Illinois regiment, un- 
der Lieutenant-Colonel Weatherford, was stationed in 
a small trench, extending to the ravine, while, on the 
opposite height, the main body of the regiment, under 
Colonel Hardin, was posted, with a single piece of artil- 
lery from Captain Washington's battery. The post of 
honor on the extreme right, was assigned to Bragg's ar- 
tillery, his left supported by the Second regiment of 
Kentucky foot, under Colonel McKee, the left flank of 
which rested upon the arroyo. Washington's battery 
occupied a position immediately in front of the narrow 
point of the road-way, in rear of which and somewhat 
to the left, on another height, the Second Illinois regi- 
ment, under Colonel Bissel, was posted. Next, on the 
left, the Indiana brigade, under General Lane, was de- 
ployed, while on the extreme left the Kentucky cavalry, 
under Colonel Marshall, occupied a position directly 
under the frowning summits of the mountains. The 
two squadrons of First and Second dragoons, and the 
Arkansas cavalry under Colonel Yell, were posted in 
rear, ready for any service which the exigencies of the 
day might require. 

The dispositions had been made for some time, when 
the enemy was seen advancing in the distance, and 
the clouds of dust which rolled up before him, gave 
satisfactory evidence that his numbers were not un- 
worthy the trial of strength upon which we were about 
to enter. He arrived upon his position in immense 
masses, and wdth force sufficiently numerous to have 
commenced his attack at once, had he been as confi- 



A HUMANE PROPOSITION. 255 



dent of success as it subsequently appeared he was 
solicitous for our safety. The first evidence directly 
afforded us of the presence of Santa Anna, was a white 
flag which was dimly seen fluttering in the breeze, 
and anon Surgeon General Lindenberg, of the Mexican 
Armv arrived, bearing a beautiful emblem of benevo- 
lent bravado and Christian charity. It was a missive 
from Santa Anna, suggested by considerations for our 
personal comfort, which has placed us under lasting 
obligations, proposing to General Taylor terms of un- 
conditional surrender, promising good treatment ; assur- 
ing us that his force amounted to upwards of twenty 
thousand men, that our defeat was inevitable, and that 
to spare the effusion of blood, his proposition should be 
complied with. Strange to say, the American General 
showed the gi-eatest ingratitude; evinced no appre- 
ciation whatever of Santa Anna's kindness, and in- 
formed him that whether his force amounted to twenty 
thousand or fifty thousand, it was equally a matter ot 
indifference : the terms of adjustment must be arranged 
by gunpowder. 

The messenger returned to his employer, and we 

waited in silence to hear the roar of his artillery. 

Hours rolled by without any movement on his part, and 

it appeared that the Mexican commander, grieved at 

our stubbornness, was almost disposed to retrace his 

steps as if determined to have no further intercourse 

with 'such ungrateful audacity. At length, he mustered 

resolution to open a fire from a mortar, throwmg several 

shells into our camp without execution. While this 

was going on, Captain Steene, of the First dragoons, 

with a single man, started towards a hill on which the 

Mexican general seemed to be stationed with his staff, 

but before he completed the ascent, the party vanished 



256 THE ATTACK COMxMENCED. 

and when he reached the top, he discovered that two 
regiments had thrown themselves into squares to resist 
his charge. The captain's gravity was overcome by 
this opposition, and he returned. 

The Kentucky cavalry and Arkansas troops were 
posted near the mountain, and as skirmishers, having 
been first dismounted, brought on the action, at half- 
past four o'clock, on the 22d, by engaging about fifteen 
hundred of the enemy's light troops, who had been 
deployed on the top of the mountain to turn our left. Our 
riflemen advanced up the side of the mountain, extend- 
ing their line to prevent the enemy's flanking them, 
and fighting as they toiled up the almost perpendicular 
ascent, until the whole side of the mountain, from base 
to summit, was one sheet of fire. The sight was a 
splendid one, and our hearts warmed towards home and 
country, as we lay upon the field, contemplating the 
scene two thousand feet above us, and resolving that 
the next day should witness a noble victory, or a disas- 
trous and terrible defeat. The firing continued until 
after dark, when our riflemen retired, the enemy re- 
maining in possession of the heights. We slept upon 
our arms, on what was to be, the next day, a ghastly 
field of carnage. The Second Illinois regiment, which 
has suffered so severely, was posted about eight hun- 
dred yards from the base of the mountain ; the Second 
Indiana on the left, and three pieces of light artillery, 
commanded by Lieutenant O'Brien, between us and 
the Indianians. Our position was that upon which the 
enemy would advance, it was supposed, with the 
heaviest force of his infantry, and was to be desperately 
defended. The first gun on the 23d was fired at day- 
light, and the firing continued until darkness put an 
end to the eflTusion of blood. No adequate description 



COLONEL HARDIN S CHARGE. 257 

of the fight can be given ; it was a succession of brill- 
iant advances and disastrous retreats all day — our reg- 
iments advancing to attack five times their numbers, 
driving them with great loss, until the enemy, rein- 
forced by fresh regiments, rallied, and in their turn, 
with overwhelming numbers, compelled us to fall back. 

As we expected, the Mexican infantry advanced 
upon us in three columns, composed of eight regiments. 
Advancing steadily to the brow of the hill, the first 
line came down the hill a few paces ; the second not 
quite so low, and the third upon the summit of the 
ravine bank ; the most distant line about two hundred 
yards from us. Our regiment was kneeling, awaiting 
their advance, expecting that they would cross the 
ravine, and would have but two regiments to fight at 
once ; but the instant they were formed, a terrific fire 
was opened upon us by the entire force, in our part of 
not less than four thousand regular troops. We were 
here ordered to open upon them, and for thirty minutes 
we poured into them as galling a fire as ever was wit- 
nessed — our men discharging their pieces not less than 
twenty times within point blank. Here we had about 
sixty officers and men killed and wounded. The In- 
dianians on our left giving way early in the fight, 
enabled the lancers to cross the ravine, and come 
down upon our left flank, when we fell back some two 
hundred and fifty yards, where those that could be 
rallied halted and were again formed. 

The Second Kentucky, commanded by Colonel Mc- 
Kee, were ordered to our support, as well as Colonel 
Hardin's First lUinoisians. Poor Hardin, with his 
gallant regiment, advanced upon them to our relief, 
and drove back the enemy to our left. By the time 
the Second Kentucky came up, we were again rallied, 
11* 



258 AN ATTEMPT TO OUTFLANK TAYLOR. 

and with them made as fine a charge as ever was 
made, driving back four times our number, kilhng and 
wounding an immense number of the enemy, and cap- 
taring the standard of the First battahon of Cuana- 
huoto, which was taken by Captain Raith, of St. Clair 
county, and after remaining in our possession aU day, 
was unfortunately lost in the last charge, which rob- 
bed the nation of Hardin, McKee and Clay. 

During the night the Mexicans had estabhshed a 
twelve-pounder on a point at the base of the moun- 
tain, which commanded any position which could be 
taken by us. To counteract the effect of this piece, 
Lieutenant O'Brien, Fourth artillery, was detached 
with three pieces of Washington's battery, having 
with him Lieutenant Bryan, of the Topographical En- 
gineers, who, having planted a few shells in the midst 
of the enemy's gunners, for the time effectually silenced 
his fire. 

From the movements, soon perceptible, along the 
left of our line, it became evident that the enemy was 
attempting to turn that flank, and for this purpose had 
concentrated a large body of cavalry and infantry on 
his right. The base of the mountain around which 
these troops were winding their way, seemed girdled 
with a belt of steel, as their glittering sabres and 
polished lances flashed back the beams of the morning 
sun. Sherman's and Bragg' s batteries were imme- 
diately ordered to the left: Colonel Bissel's regiment 
occupied a position between them, while Colonel Mc- 
Kee' s Kentuckians were transferred from the right of 
our line, so as to hold a position near the centre. The 
Second Indiana regiment, under Colonel Bowles, was 
placed on our extreme left, nearly perpendicular to the 
direction of our line, so as to oppose, by a direct fire, 



FLIGHT OF THE INDIANA REGIMENT. 259 

the flank movement of the enemy. These dispositions 
having been promptly etfected, the artillery of each 
army opened its fire, and, simultaneously, the Mexi- 
can infantry commenced a rapid and extended dis- 
charge upon our line, from the left to McKee's regi- 
ment. Our artillery belched forth its thunders with 
tremendous effect, while the Kentuckians returned the 
fire of the Mexican infantry, with great steadiness and 
success ; their field officers, McKee, Clay and Fry, 
passing along their line, animating and encouraging 
the men, by precept and example. The Second Illinois 
regiment also received the enemy's fire with great 
firmness, and returned an ample equivalent. While 
this fierce conflict was going on, the main body of 
Colonel Hardin's regiment moved to the right of the 
Kentuckians, and the representatives of each state 
seemed to vie with each other in the honorable am- 
bition of doing the best service for their country. Both 
regiments gallantly sustained their positions, and won 
unfadincf laurels. The veterans of Austerlitz could 

o 

not have exhibited more courage, coolness and de- 
votion. 

In the meantime, the enemy's cavalry had been 
stealthily pursuing its way along the mountain, and 
though our artillery had wrought great havoc among 
its numbers, the leading squadrons had passed the ex- 
treme points of danger, and were almost in position to 
attack us in the rear. At this critical moment, the In- 
diana regiment turned upon its proper front, and com- 
menced an inglorious flight. The efforts of Colonel 
Bowles to bring it into position were vain, and over 
hills and ravines they pursued their shameful career, 
to the great delight of the enemy, who rent the air 
with shouts of triumph. Several officers of General 



260 GREAT HAVOC AMOXG THE ENEMY. 

Taylor's staff immediately dashed off, to arrest, if pos- 
sible, the retreating regiment, and restore it again to 
reputation and to duty. Major Dix, of the Pay De- 
partment, formerly of the Seventh infantry, was the 
first to reach the deserters, and seizing the colors of 
the regiment, appealed to the men, to know whether 
they had determined to desert them. He was answered 
by three cheers, showing, that though the men had lit- 
tle disposition to become heroes themselves, they were 
not unmindful of an act of distinguished gallantry on 
the part of another. A portion of the regiment imme- 
diately rallied around him, and was re-formed by the 
officers. Dix, in person, then led them towards the 
enemy, until one of the men volunteered to take the 
flag. The party returned to the field, and though not 
in time to repair the disaster which their flight had 
created, to retrieve in a slight degree, the character of 
the state. While the day, however, by this disgraceful 
panic, was fast going against us, the artillery was ad- 
vanced, its front extended, and different sections and 
pieces under Sherman, Bragg, O'Brien, Thomas, Rey- 
nolds, Kilburn, French, and Bryan, were working such 
carnage in the ranks of the enem.y as to make his col- 
umns roll to and fro, like ships upon the billows. His 
triumph at the Indiana retreat was but for a moment, 
and his shouts of joy were soon followed by groans of 
anguish, and the shrieks of expiring hundreds. 

Washington's battery on the right, had now opened 
its fire, and driven back a large party of lancers, ad- 
vancing in that direction. Along the entire line the 
battle raged with great fury. Twenty-one thousand 
of the victims of Mexican oppression and the myrmi- 
dons of Mexican despotism, were arrayed against five 
thousand Americans, sent forth to conquer a peace. 



ATTACK UPON OUR TRAIN. 261 

The discharges of the infantry followed each other 
more rapidly than the sounds of the Swiss bell-ringers 
in the fierce fervor of a finale, and the volleys of artil- 
lery reverberated through the mountains like the thun- 
ders of an Alpine storm. 

The myriads of Mexican cavalry still pressed for- 
ward on our left, and threatened a charge upon the 
Mississippi rifles under Colonel Davis, who had been 
ordered to support the Indiana regiment, and had suc- 
ceeded in preserving a fragment of it in position. Col- 
onel Davis immediately threw his command into the 
form of a Y, the opening towards the enemy, and 
awaited his advance. On he came, dashing with all 
the speed of Mexican horses, but when he arrived at 
that point from which could be seen the whites of his 
eyes, both lines poured forth a sheet of lead that scat- 
tered him like chaff', felling many a gallant steed to the 
earth, and sending scores of riders to the sleep that 
knows no waking. 

While the dispersed Mexican cavalry were rallying, 
the Third Indiana regiment, under Colonel Lane, was 
ordered to join Colonel Davis, supported by a consid- 
erable body of horse. About this time, from some un- 
known reason, our wagon train displayed its length 
along the Saltillo road, and offered a conspicuous prize 
for the Mexican lancers, which they seemed not unwil- 
ling to appropriate. Fortunately, Lieutenant Rucker, 
with a squadron of the First dragoons, (Captain Steene 
having been previously w^ounded, and Captain Eustis 
confined to his bed by illness,) was present, and by 
order of General Taylor, dashed among them in a 
most brilliant style, dispersing them by his charge, as 
effectually as the previous fire of the Mississippi rifle- 
men. May's dragoons, with a squadron of Arkansas 



262 K MEXICAN STRATAGEM. 

cavalry, under Captain Pike, and supported by a single 
piece of artillery, under Lieutenant Reynolds, now 
claimed their share in the discussion, and when the 
Mexicans had again assembled, thev had to encounter 
another shock from the two squadrons, besides a fierce 
fire of grape from Reynolds' six-pounder. The lan- 
ders once more rallied, and directing their course to- 
wards the Saltillo road, were met by the remainder of 
Colonel Yell's regiment and Marshall's Kentuckians, 
who drove them towards the mountains on the oppo- 
site side of the valley, where, from their appearance 
when last visible, it may be presumed, they are still 
running. In this precipitate movement, they were 
compelled to pass through a rancho, in which many 
of our valiant comrades had previously taken refuge, 
who, from this secure retreat, opened quite an effec- 
tive fire upon them. Several hundreds of the Arkan- 
sas cavalry were so well satisfied with the result of 
this single effort, that they deemed it unnecessary to 
make another, and accordingly kept on their way to 
town, and there reported General Taylor as in full re- 
treat. 

About two o'clock in the day, the Second Kentucky 
and Second Illinois, who had never retired more than 
three hundred yards from where we had received 
the enemy's first fire, were lying in the head of two 
ravines, under cover from the enemy's artillery, who 
had taken post upon the ground abandoned by the In- 
diana regiment, and were driving a torrent of round 
shot, grape and canister amongst us, when suddenly the 
firing ceased, and four officers, at their utmost speed, 
came galloping towards us. Colonels McKee, Clay, 
Bissell and myself, advanced some sixty yards from 
our cover to meet them. With the greatest difficulty 



AN AMUSING DEMAND. 263 

our men were restrained from firing upon them as they 
came up, alleging that as they brought no white flag, 
it was a ruse. They asked for General Taylor. Col- 
onel Clay accompanied one of them, the Aid of Gene- 
ral Santa Anna, to General Taylor, who was sitting 
with his right leg over his horse's neck, just behind us, 
as unconcerned at the danger he was in, and as com- 
posed as man possibly could be. Whilst the aid was 
delivering his message to the general, we took the lib- 
erty of quizzing the other three a little. I asked one 
of them who appeared highest in rank, " What is the 
object of your mission ?" He replied, by pointing to 
our men, who were, the most of them, lying on their 
faces, at full length, about forty paces from him, " Those 
are troops of the line, are they ?" To which we re 
plied, " Six hundred of them are." I then resumed my 
questions, when he answered in Spanish, and as we did 
not appear to comprehend him, repeated in French, 
that " General Santa Anna wishes to know what Gen- 
eral Taylor wants." He said it with such an air of 
unconcern, that we all broke out into a loud laugh. 

I understand that w^hen the aid reached the General, 
he repeated the same thing to him, when the old " war 
hero" told the interpreter to tell him, " he wanted the 
Mexican army to surrender ; tell him that 1 will treat 
Santa Anna and his army like gentlemen." The fact 
is, that at this time the right wing of the Mexican forces 
had been entirely cut off, and near four thousand lan- 
cers and infantry were at the mercy of Captain Bragg's 
battery of light artillery, which had been advanced so 
close to their line, that with canister they would rake 
a deep ravine, through w^hich they were compelled to 
pass to rejoin the main body of the Mexican force, 
which they were on the full retreat to re-unite with. 



264 EFFECT OF DUPLICITY. 

having been driven back by the cavalry, Mississippians 
and Sherman's hght battery, which poured a most de- 
structive fire upon them. At the same time that the 
messenger came from Santa Anna, to whom I have 
alluded, a white flag was sent in from the right wing 
under retreat. Mr. Crittenden, General Taylor's aid, 
I think, returned with it to the enemy's lines, where 
they closed round him, and under protection of the flag, 
with Mr. Crittenden in their midst, passed Bragg's bat- 
tery within point-blank canister range. Thus, but for 
their duplicity, the entire right wing of their army 
would have been taken, the victory won, and the ter- 
rible loss w^e sustained in the last charge, saved the 
nation. 

The craft of Santa Anna had restored his courage, 
and wath his reinforcement of cavalry, he determined 
to charge our line. Under cover of their artillery, horse 
and foot advanced upon our batteries. These, from 
the smallness of our infantry force, were but feebly 
supported, yet by the most brilliant and daring efforts 
nobly maintained their position. Such was the ra- 
pidity of their transitions, that officers and pieces 
seemed empowered with ubiquity, and upon cavalry 
and infantry alike, wherever they appeared, they 
poured so destructive a fire as to silence the enemy's 
artillery, compel his whole line to fall back, and soon 
to assume a sort of sauve qui peut movement, indica- 
ting anything but victory. The two wrings re-united 
(near where the Second Indiana were posted in the 
morning) under the most blazing and effective fire from 
our light batteries, that cannon ever poured into col- 
umns of men. They fell by scores, and on this spot 
I saw, the next day, as many as five men killed by the 
same round shot — ^legs were knocked in one direction. 



VICTORY NEARLY TURNED TO DEFEAT. 265 

arms in another — horses, lancers and infantry, in rich 
profusion strewed the ground. The enemy retired un- 
der this most withering fire, and if we had been con- 
tent with a victory only, we had won one never to be 
forgotten whilst our history lasts ; but, unfortunately, 
we here pursued it too far. The gallant and lamented 
Hardin — the soul of bravery — advanced with his regi- 
ment to charge the enemy's cannon, under cover of 
which he was rapidly retiring. But while we were 
negotiating with the white flags, the enemy's reserve 
of nearly five thousand chosen infantry, who were 
fresh, and had not participated in the day, were ad- 
vanced, and placed in the immense ravine which sepa- 
rated the two armies in the morning. They must have 
extended down the ravine, towards the San Louis road, 
for six hundred yards. The ground was cut to pieces 
with these ravines running parallel to each other, and 
not more than one hundred and fifty yards apart. In 
advancing upon the enemy's battery, the First regi- 
ment soon came under a most galling fire from the 
right of the enemy's reserve, and was immediately 
ordered to cover itself by the deep ravine, around the 
head of which it was filing, when the fire opened 
upon it. 

As we had fought side by side so long, our regiment 
with one will and heart advanced to their relief, crossed 
the deep ravine, and taking position on the right of the 
First Illinois regiment, commenced a hot fire upon the 
enem.y's right, which soon would have brought them to 
a right-about. After exchanging some dozen rounds, 
a perfect forest of bayonets made their appearance over 
the brow of the hill right in our front, and gave us as 
much to do as we could to return their fire. 

At this critical point of the battle, when it became 



266 A NOBLE CHARGE. 

necessary to sustain one of our columns, which was 
staggering under a charge made by the Mexicans in 
overwhelming numbers, General Taylor dispatched 
Mr. Crittenden to order Colonel McKee, of the Second 
Kentucky regiment, to bring his men into immediate 
action. Mr. Crittenden found the regiment, men and 
officers, eager for the fray, delivered the order and rode 
back to the general, by whose side it was his duty to 
keep. The Kentuckians moved forward in gallant 
style, led by McKee and Clay, both of whom, alas ! fell 
in a subsequent part of the day. It so happened that 
before reaching a position from which they could de- 
liver an effective fire, the regiment had to cross a valley 
which was broken up by ravines and masses of stone. 
While crossing this valley, the heads only of the men 
could be seen from the point which General Taylor 
and Mr. Crittenden occupied, and these were bobbing 
up and down and crosswise in such confusion as to im- 
press both with the idea that the regiment had fallen 
into disorder. The Mexicans were annoying them at 
the same moment by a fire, which helped to confirm 
the opinion of the general that the Kentuckians were 
thrown into dismay. It w^as one of those decisive 
crises which occur in every contested field, when the 
issue of the day depended, for the time being, upon the 
gallantry of a particular corps. 

General Taylor, who, as before said, could only see 
the heads of the troops, and misled by their motions 
in getting across gullies and going around rocks and 
other obstructions, into the belief that they were about 
to falter, turned to Mr. Crittenden, (who is a Kentuck- 
ian,) and with a countenance indicating deep mortifi- 
cation, for the general is a Kentuckian too, and an eye 
fierce with emotion, exclaimed : " Mr. Crittenden, this 



AN EXCITING MOMENT. 267 

will not do— this is not the way for Kentuckians to be- 
have themselves when called upon to make good a bat- 
tle—it will not answer, sir ;" and with this he clenched 
his fist, and knit his brow, and set his teeth hard to- 
gether. Mr. Crittenden, who was mistaken by the 
same indications that deceived the general, could 
scarcely make a reply, from very chagrin and shame 
In a few moments, however, the Kentuckians had 
crossed the uneven places, and were seen ascending 
the slope of the valley, shoulder to shoulder, and with 
the firm and regular step of veterans of a hundred 

fields. 

On they moved until they reached the crest ot the 
hill, where they met the enemy before the flush of a 
temporary advantage had subsided. Here they deliv- 
ered their fire by companies with such regularity and 
deadly aim that the decimated phalanx of Mexico gave 
way and retreated precipitately. As the Kentuckians 
emerged from the valley, the countenance of the old 
general, who was regarding them with the intensest in- 
terest, gradually relaxed the bitterness of its expression. 
A glow of pride supplanted the deep mortification which 
fixed his muscles, and enthusiasm qualified the fierce 
glances of his eye. Forward they moved under his 
riveted gaze, whose feelings became more and more 
wrought up as they approached the scene of carnage. 
When they opened their fire the old general could no 
longer restrain his admiration, but broke forth with a 
loud huzza. " Hurrah for old Kentuck," he exclaimed, 
talking as it were to himself and rising in his saddle— 
" That's the way to do it ; give it to 'em," and the tears 
of exultation rolled down his cheeks as he said it. Hav- 
ing got rid of this exultation of state pride, he went 
about looking after other parts of the field. 



268 A SUDDEN CHARGE. 

This regiment, too, had as much to do in front as one 
regiment could attend to, whilst about one thousand in- 
fantry on their right ran across the level ground be- 
tween the two ravines, to cut off our retreat to the San 
Luis road, down which, under cover of Washington's 
guns, we could only reach the redoubt on the hill, where 
the First Illinois were posted in the early part of the 
action. 

Again our spirits rose. The Mexicans appeared 
thoroughly routed, and while their regiments and divis- 
ions were flying before us, nearly all our light troops 
were ordered forward, and followed them with a most 
deadly fire, mingled with shouts which rose above the 
roar of artillery. In this charge the First Illinois regi- 
ment and McKee's Kentuckians were foremost. The 
pursuit was too hot, and as it evinced too clearly our 
deficiency in numbers, the Mexicans, with a sudden- 
ness which was almost magical, rallied and returned 
upon us. They came in myriads, and for a while the 
carnage was dreadful on both sides. We were but a 
handful to oppose the frightful masses which were hurled 
upon us, and could as easily have resisted an avalanche 
of thunderbolts. We were driven back, and the day 
seemed lost beyond redemption. Victory, which a 
moment before appeared within our grasp, was suddenly 
torn from our standard. There was but one hope, but 
that proved an anchor sure and steadfast. 

While our men were driven through the ravines, at 
the extremities of which a body of Mexican lancers 
v^'as stationed to pounce upon them like tigers, — Brent 
and Whiting, of Washington's battery, gave them such 
a torrent of grape as to put them to flight, and thus 
saved the remnants of those brave regiments, which had 
long born the hottest portion of the fight. On the other 



DEATH OF CLAY, HARDIN, AND MCKEE. 269 

flank, while the Mexicans came rushing on like legions 
of fiends, the artillery was left unsupported, and capture 
by the enerny seemed inevitable. 

I soon discovered that the odds against us ^vas so 
great, that we must be overpowered, and having wit- 
nessed, during the day, the barbarities committed upon 
our wounded officers, resigned myself to die. The right 
w^ing of the enemy's reserve had crossed over, and were 
turning our left flank — our men were too tired and 
broken down to bring them to the bayonet, and our 
only salvation w^as in retreat. I turned my eyes down 
the ravine, and the distance sickened me ; and when I 
thought, but for one instant, upon how many gallant 
men would die there — murdered, butchered, even after 
surrender — my brain reeled : the order was given to 
retreat — no possible order could be observed, the banks 
were precipitate, rocky, and covered with loose rolling 
pebbles — five colonels were, with their regiments, at the 
head of the ravine where the order was given — three 
of them, John J. Hardin, Colonel KcKee, and Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Henry Clay, fell wounded, and were inhu- 
manly lanced to death, and stripped of their clothing. 
I think the lance was run through poor Clay as often 
as ten times ; his men carried him some two hundred 
yards, but to save their own lives, were compelled to 
abandon him ; the wound which disabled him, was a 
slight one through the legs. The same was poor Har- 
din's case. Colonel Bissell and myself escaped un- 
touched, but a horrible massacre of our men took place 
here. Besides a large number of privates, there fell in 
this fatal ravine, Captain Zabriskie, First Illinois vol- 
unteers ; Captain Wilham T. Willis, Kentucky volun- 
teers ; Lieutenants T. Kelly, Rodney Ferguson, Ed- 
ward F. Fletcher, Lauriston Robbins, Allen B. Roun- 



270 CAPTAIN BRAGg's BATTERY. 

tree, and James C. Steele, of Second Illinois volun- 
teers ; Lieutenant Hoten, First Illinois, and Lieutenant 
Ball, Second Kentucky volunteers. 

But Bragg and Thomas rose with the crisis, and 
eclipsed even the fame they won at Monterey, while 
Sherman, O'Brien and Bryan, proved themselves wor- 
thy of the alliance. Every horse with O'Brien's bat- 
tery was killed, and the enemy had advanced to within 
range of grape, sweeping all before him. But here his 
progress was arrested, and before the showers of iron 
hail which assailed him, squadrons and battalions fell 
like leaves in the blast of autumn. The Mexicans were 
once more driven back with great loss, though taking 
with them the three pieces of artillery which were with- 
out horses. 

The lancers who had dashed down the road to cut 
off our retreat, were driven back by Washington's ar- 
tillery, which opened a well directed fire upon them ; 
but for which, not one of us would have gotten out — 
the banks on each side of the ravine were very steep, 
at least fifty feet, and it was impossible to rally a man 
under the desolating fire which poured upon us from 
several thousand fresh troops. When we reached the 
redoubt it was nearly night ; we had been in the en- 
gagement since daylight, and nature, unable to bear 
under greater burdens, yielded, officers and men sink- 
ing down upon the rocks and earth, completely ex- 
hausted. Thus, thrice during the day, when all seemed 
lost but honor, did the artillery, by the ability with 
"which it was manoeuvred, roll back the tide of success 
from the enemy, and give such overwhelming destruc- 
tiveness to its effect, that the army was saved and the 
glory of our arms maintained. 

The battle had now raged with variable success for 



NARROW ESCAPE OF TAYLOR. 273 

nearly ten hours, and by a sort of mutual consent, 
after the last carnage wrought among the Mexicans 
by the artillery, both parties seemed willing to pause 
upon the result. Night fell, and the American gen- 
eral, with his troops, slept upon the battle-ground, pre- 
pared, if necessary, to resume operations on the mor- 
row. But ere the sun rose again upon the scene, the 
Mexicans had disappeared, leaving behind them only 
their dead and dying, whose bones are to whiten their 
native hills, and whose moans of anguish were to ex- 
cite in their enemies that compassion, which can have 
no existence in the bosoms of their friends. 

Throughout the action, General Taylor was where 
the shot fell hottest and thickest, two of which passed 
through his clothes. He constantly evinced the great- 
est quickness of conception, fertility of resource, and 
a cool, unerring judgment, not to be* baffled. General 
Wool was wherever his presence was required, stimu- 
lating the troops to activity and exertion. The opera- 
tions of General Lane were confined to his own bri- 
gade, and his efforts were worthy of better material 
for their application. Major Bliss bore himself with 
his usual gallantry, having his horse, as at Palo Alto, 
shot in the head. Mr. Crittenden, a son of the senator 
from Kentucky, was conspicuous in the field, as volun- 
teer aid to General Taylor, and the medical director's 
assistant surgeon, Hitchcock, could be sometimes seen 
where the balls fell fastest, binding up a wound or 
dressing a broken leg, with true professional zeal ; and, 
anon, galloping with the ardor of an amateur knight, 
conveying orders to different commanders. 

I could recount a thousand acts of individual cour- 
age worthy of record, but when all behaved so well, it 
would be invidious almost to record them. Captain 



274 A DEARLY PURCHASED VICTOR V. 

Lincoln was waving us on with his sword, when he 
fell dead into the arms of Captain Raith, of Belleville. 
Captain Steene, of the Dragoons, was on every part 
of the field, animating the volunteers by his presence 
and words ; where the bullets were thickest his tower- 
ing black was seen, until the gallant rider fell, severely 
wounded. Colonel Churchill has won an imperishable 
reputation for coolness and bravery. He rode along 
the lines but a minute before the enemy opened upon 
us, remarking, " My brave Illinoisians, you did not 
make this long march to be defeated now, did you ?" 
and retired, his horse receiving four wounds. 

General Wool behaved most gallantly, and has 
earned all the country can do for him, besides the 
respect, esteem and admiration of his brigade, who, 
before the battle, had a long account of what they con- 
sidered petty annoyances treasured against him. 

What can be said of " Old Rough and Ready ?" 
He was everywhere at the same time, animating, 
ordering, and persuading his men to remember the day 
and their country, and strike home for both. The 
breast of his coat was pierced by a canister shot. 
" These balls are growing excited," was his cool remark. 

I give you a list of killed and wounded of our regi- 
ment ; it is the highest, though bloodiest eulogium that 
can be passed upon it. I have extended this letter to 
an alarming length, I am aware, but your readers will 
excuse it — the theme is a mighty one — my heart is 
full, and my pen could not be controlled. Major 
Mansfield, for self-possession and cool courage, was 
unequalled by any officer on the field. General Tay- 
lor's staff, among whom is Lieutenant Pope, of our 
state, bore orders through every part of the field. 

In this, as in every case of arbitrament by the sword, 



SOME OF THE MARTYRS. 275 

the laurel is closely entwined with the cypress, and the 
lustre of a brilliant victory is darkened by the blood 
with which it has been purchased. I am unable to 
state our loss, but it has been very severe, and proves 
the battle of Buena Vista to have been, by far, the 
most terrible conflict in which our troops have been 
engaged. Captain Lincoln, assistant adjutant-general 
to General Wool, fell early in the action, while proudly 
distinguished by his efforts to bring the flying regiment 
back to their position, and with his last breath bore 
testimony against Indiana cowardice. Colonel Yell 
w^as pierced by a lance, while gallantly leading his reg- 
iment against the Mexican cavalry. The noble 
Hardin met his death gloriously, while conducting the 
last terrible charge. Colonel McKee, after having 
gallantly sustained the honor of Kentucky, throughout 
the action, fell in the foremost rank, and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Clay was cut down at almost the same moment 
with Hardin and McKee, whiTe giving his men the 
most brilliant example of noble daring and lofty chiv- 
alry. Others have fallen, but their names are not 
known to me ; nor is it for me to pronounce the eulogy 
of those whose names 1 have recorded. Other and 
abler pens will do justice to the character and memory 
of the illustrious dead, whose devotion to the republic 
they have written with their blood and sealed with 
their lives. Lincoln was a gallant officer and accom- 
plished gentleman, of pure heart and generous impulses, 
and worthy of his revolutionary lineage. Yell was a 
warm friend and gallant man, quick to see the right, 
and ready to pursue it. Hardin was one of Nature's 
noblest spirits, a soldier tried and true, a rare union of 
the best qualities of the head and heart. McKee was 
wise in council and brave in the field, with a neart 
12 



276 GENERAL TAYLOR S OFFIGAL REPORT. 

moved by the tenderest sympathies and most noble im- 
pulses. And what shall I say of Clay — the young, the 
brave, the chivalrous — foremost in the fight — the soul 
of every lofty sentiment ? Devoted to his friends and 
generous to his enemies, he fell in the flower of his age 
and usefulness, and has left no worthier name behind 
him. If he was not the " noblest Roman of them all,'* 
few will deny that in him — 

" Were the elements 
So mixed, that Nature might stand up and say 
To all the world — this was a man." 

As General Taylor's own account of his brilliant 
achievements always presents the clearest conception 
of them to the mind, and affords the best index to his 
character, his detailed official report of this most splen- 
did of all his military deeds, is given at length below. 
There are many incidents in such a battle as this, that 
must escape the attention of every one but the com- 
manding general himself; and though his account is, 
of necessity, less exciting, as it is confined more to 
mere detail, than the graphic description already 
given, yet it presents facts in an authentic shape, and 
is therefore not only most sought after, but composes a 
necessary part of the history of the war. It is a 
monument, too, to the patriotism of the brave men 
who sacrificed their lives for their country on the 
bloody field of Buena Vista, no less than to his own 
genius, gallantry and patriotism, and as such must be 
preserved : 

" I have the honor to submit a detailed report of the 
operations of the forces under my command, which 
resulted in the engagement of Buena Vista, the repulse 



Taylor's report continued. 277 

of the Mexican army, and the re-occupation of this 
position. 

" The information which reached me of the advance 
and concentration of a heavy Mexican force in my 
front, had assumed such a probable form as to induce 
a special examination far beyond the reach of our 
pickets to ascertain its correctness. A small party of 
Texan spies, under Major McCuUough, dispatched to 
the hacienda of Encarnacion, thirty miles from this, 
on the route to San Luis Potosi, had reported a cavalry 
force of unknown strength at that place. On the 
20th of February, a strong reconnoissance, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel May, was dispatched to the haci- 
enda of Hecliondo, while Major McCullough made 
another examination of Encarnacion. The result of 
these expeditions left no doubt that the enemy was in 
large force at Encarnacion, under the orders of General 
Santa Anna, and that he meditated a forward move- 
ment and attack upon our position. 

" As the camp at Agua Nueva could be turned on 
either flank, and as the enemy's force was greatly 
superior to our own, particularly in the arm of cavalry, 
I determined, after much consideration, to take up a 
position about eleven miles in rear, and there await 
the attack. The army broke up its camp and marched 
at noon on the 21st, encamping at the new position a 
little in front of the hacienda of Buena Vista. With 
a small force I proceeded to Saltillo, to make some 
necessary arrangements for the defence of the town, 
leaving Brigadier-General Wool in the immediate com- 
mand of the troops. 

" Before those arrangements were completed, on the 
morning of the 22d, I was advised that the enemy was 
in sight, advancing. Upon reaching the ground, it 



278 Taylor's report continued. 

was found that his cavalry advance was in our front, 
having marched from Encarnacion, as we have since 
learned, at eleven o'clock the day previous, and driving 
in a mounted force left at Agua Nueva to cover the 
removal of public stores. Our troops were in position, 
occupying a line of remarkable strength. The road at 
this point becomes a narrow defile, the valley on its 
right being rendered quite impracticable for artillery 
by a succession of deep and impassable gullies, while 
on the left a succession of rugged ridges and precipitous 
ravines extends far back toward the mountain which 
bounds the valley. The features of the ground were 
such as nearly to paralyze^ the artillery and cavalry of 
the enemy, while his infantry could not derive all the 
advantage of its numerical superiority. In this position 
we prepared to receive him. Captain Washington's 
battery (Fourth artillery) was posted to command the 
road, while the First and Second Illinois regiments, 
under Colonels Hardin and Bissell, each eight compa- 
nies, (to the latter of which was attached Captain Con- 
ner's company of Texas volunteers,) and the Second 
Kentucky, under Colonel McKee, occupied the crests 
of the ridges on the left and in rear. The Arkan- 
sas and Kentucky regiments of cavalry, commanded 
by Colonels Yell and H. Marshall, occupied the ex- 
treme left near the base of the mountain, while tlie 
Indiana brigade, under Brigadier-General Lane, (com- 
posed of the Second and Third regiments, under Col- 
onels Bowles and Lane,) the Mississippi riflemen, 
under Colonel Davis, the squadrons of the First and 
Second dragoons, under Captain Steene and Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel May, and the light batteries of Captains 
Sherman and Bragg, Third artillery, were held in 
reserve. 



TAYLOR S REPORT CONTINUED. 279 

"At eleven o'clock I received from General Santa 
Anna a summons to surrender at discretion, which, 
with a copy of my reply, I have already transmitted. 
The enemy still forebore his attack, evidently waiting 
for the arrival of his rear columns, which could be 
distinctly seen by our look-outs as they approached the 
field. A demonstration made on his left caused me to 
detach the Second Kentucky regiment and a section 
of artillery to our right, in which position they bivou- 
acked for the night. In the meantime the Mexican 
light troops had engaged ours on the extreme left, 
(composed of pans of the Kentucky and Arkansas 
cavalry dismounted, and a rifle battalion from the 
Indiana brigade, under Major Gorman, the whole com- 
manded by Colonel Marshall,) and kept up a sharp fire, 
climbing the mountain side, and apparently endeavor- 
ing to gain our flank. Three pieces of Captain Wash- 
ington's battery had been detached to the left, and were 
supported by the Second Indiana regim.ent. An occa- 
sional shell w^as thrown by the enemy into this part of 
our line, but without effect. The skirmishing of the 
light troops was kept up with trifling loss on our part 
until dark, when I became convinced that no serious 
attack would be made before the morning, and returned, 
with the Mississippi regiment and squadron of Second 
dragoons, to Saltillo. The troops bivouacked without 
fires, and laid upon their arms. A body of cavalry, 
some fifteen hundred strong, had been visible all day in 
rear of the town, having entered the valley through 
a narrow pass, east of the city. This cavalry, com- 
manded by General Minon, had evidently been thrown 
in our rear to break up and harass our retreat, and 
perhaps make some attempt against the town, if practi- 
cable. The city was occupied by four excellent com- 



280 Taylor's report continued. 

panics of Illinois volunteers, under Major Warren, of 
the First regiment. A field-work, which commanded 
most of the approaches, was garrisoned by Captain 
Webster's company, First artillery, and armed with 
two twenty-four pound howitzers, while the tram and 
headquarter camp was guarded by two companies of 
Mississippi riflemen, under Captain Rogers, and a field- 
piece, commanded by Captain Shover, Third artillery. 
Having made these dispositions for the protection of 
the rear, I proceeded on the morning of the 23rd to 
Buena Vista, ordering forward all the other available 
troops. The action had commenced before my arrival 
on the field. 

" During the evening and night of the 22nd, the en 
emy had thrown a body of light troops on the moun- 
tain side, w^ith the purpose of outflanking our left ; and 
it was here that the action of the 23rd commenced at 
an early hour. Our riflemen, under Colonel Marshall, 
who had been reinforced by three companies under 
Major Trail, Second Illinois volunteers, maintained 
their ground handsomely against a greatly superior 
force, holding themselves under cover, and using their 
w^eapons wdth deadly effect. About eight o'clock, a 
strong demonstration was made against the centre of 
our position, a heavy column moving along the road. 
This force w^as soon dispersed by a few rapid and well- 
directed shots from Captain Washington's battery. In 
the meantime the enemy was concentrating a large 
force of infantry and cavalry, under cover of the 
ridges, with the obvious intention of forcing our left, 
which was posted on an extensive plateau. The 
Second Indiana and Second Illinois regiments formed 
this part of our line, the former covering three pieces 
of light artillery under the orders of Captain O'Brien 



Taylor's report continued. 281 

— Brigadier-General Lane being in the immediate com- 
mand. In order to bring his men within effective 
range, General Lane ordered the artillery and Second 
Indiana regiment forward. The artillery advanced 
within musket range of a heavy body of Mexican in- 
fantry, and was served against it with great effect, but 
without being able to check its advance. The infantry 
ordered to its support had fallen back in disorder, being 
exposed, as well as the battery, not only to a severe 
fire of small-arms from the front, but also to a murder- 
ous cross-fire of grape and canister, from a Mexican 
battery on the left. Captain O'Brien found it impossi- 
ble to retain his position without support, but was 
only able to withdraw two of his pieces, all the horses 
and cannoneers of the third piece being killed or dis- 
abled. The Second Indiana regiment, which had fallen 
back as stated, could not be rallied, and took no farthei 
part in the action, except a handful of men, who undei 
its gallant colonel, Bowles, joined the Mississippi regi* 
ment, and did good service, and those fugitives who, at 
a later period in the day, assisted in defending the train 
and depot at Buena Vista, This portion of our line 
having given way, and the enemy appearing in over- 
whelming force against our left flank, the light troops 
which had rendered such good service on the mountain 
were compelled to withdraw, which they did, for the 
most part, in good order. Many, however, were not 
raUied until they reached the depot at Buena Vista, to 
the defence of which they afterwards contributed. 

" Colonel Bissell's regiment (Second Illinois,) which 
had been joined by a section of Captain Sherman's 
battery, had become completely outflanked, and was 
compelled to fall back, being entirely unsupported. 
The p.nemv was now pouring masses of infantry and 



282 Taylor's report continued. 

cavalry along the base of the mountain on our left, and 
was gaining our rear in great force. At this moment 
I arrived upon the field. The Mississippi regiment had 
Deen directed to the left before reaching the position, 
and immediately came into action against the Mexican 
infantry which had turned our flank. The Second 
Kentucky regiment, and a section of artillery under 
Captain Bragg, had previously been ordered from the 
right to reinforce our left, and arrived at a most oppor- 
tune moment. That regiment, and a portion of the 
First Illinois, under Colonel Hardin, gallantly drove the 
enemy, and recovered a portion of the ground we had 
lost. The batteries of Captains Sherman and Bragg 
were in position on the plateau, and did much execu- 
tion, not only in front, but particularly upon the 
masses which had gained our rear. Discovering that 
the enemy was heavily pressing upon the Mississippi 
regiment, the Third Indiana regiment, under Colonel 
Lane, was dispatched to strengthen that part of our 
Hne, which formed a crotchet perpendicular to the first 
line of battle. At the same time Lieutenant Kilburn, 
with a piece of Captain Bragg's battery, was directed 
to support the infantry there engaged. The action 
was for a long time warmly sustained at that point — 
the enemy making several efforts both with infantry 
and cavalry against our line, and being always repulsed 
with heavy loss. I had placed all the regular cavalry 
and Captain Pike's squadron of Arkansas horse under 
the orders of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel May, with 
directions to hold in check the enemy's column, still 
advancing to the rear along the base of the mountain, 
which was done in conjunction with the Kentucky 
and Arkansas cavalry, under Colonels Marshall and 
Yell. 



Taylor's report continued. 



283 



" In the meantime our left, which was still strongly 
threatened by a superior force, was further strength- 
**ned by the detachment of Captain Bragg's and a por- 
tion of Captain Sherman's batteries to that quarter 
The concentration of artillery fire upon the masses oi 
the enemy along the base of the mountani, and the de- 
termined resistance offered by the two regiments op- 
posed to them, had created confusion in their ranks, 
and some of the corps attempted to effect a retreat 
upon their main line of battle. The squadron of the 
First dragoons, under Lieutenant Rucker, was now or- 
dered up the deep ravine which these retreating corps 
were endeavoring to cross, in order to charge and dis- 
perse them. The squadron proceeded to the point in- 
dicated, but could not accomplish the object, being ex- 
posed to a heavy fire from a battery established to 
cover the retreat of those corps. While the squadron 
was detached on this service, a large body of the 
enemy was observed to concentrate on our extreme 
left apparently with the view of making a descent 
upon the hacienda of Buena Vista, where our tram 
and baggage were deposited. Lieutenant-Colonel May 
was ordered to the support of that point, with two 
pieces of Captain Sherman's battery under Lieutenant 
Reynolds In the meantime, the scattered forces near 
the hacienda, composed in part of Majors Trail and 
Gormon's commands, had been to some extent organ- 
ized under the advice of Major Munroe, chief of artil- 
lery with the assistance of Major Morrison, volunteer 
staff, and were posted to defend the position. Before 
our cavalry had reached the hacienda, that of the 
enemy had made its attack ; having been handsomely 
met by the Kentucky and Arkansas cavalry under 
Colonels Marshall and Yell. The Mexican column 
12* 



284 TAYLOR S REPORT CONTINUED. 

immediately divided, one portion sweeping by the de- 
pot, where it received a destructive fire from the force 
which had collected there, and then gaining the moun- 
tain opposite, under a fire from Lieutenant Reynolds' 
section, the remaining portion regaining the base of 
the mountain on our left. In the charge at Buena 
Vista, Colonel Yell fell gallantly at the head of his 
regiment ; we also lost Adjutant Vaughan, of the Ken- 
tucky cavahy — a young officer of much promise. Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel May, w^ho had been rejoined by the 
squadron of the First dragoons and by portions of the 
Arkansas and Indiana troops, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Roane and Major Gorman, now approached the base 
of the mountain, holding in check the right flank of 
the enemy, upon whose masses, crowded in the narrow 
gorges and ravines, our artillery was doing fearful ex- 
ecution. 

" The position of that portion of the Mexican army 
which had gained our rear was now very critical, and 
^t seemed doubtful whether it could regain the main 
body. At this moment 1 received from General Santa 
Anna a message by a staff officer, desiring to know 
what I wanted ? I immediately dispatched Brigadier 
General Wool to the Mexican general- in-chief, and 
sent orders to cease firing. Upon reaching the Mexi- 
can lines. General Wool could not cause the enemy to 
cease their fire, and accordingly returned without hav- 
ing an interview. The extreme right of the enemy 
coniniued its retreat along the base of the mountain, 
and finally, in spite of all our efforts, effected a junction 
with the remainder of the army. 

" During the day, the cavalry of General Minon had 
ascended the elevated plain above Saltillo, and occu- 
pied the road from the city to the field of battle, where 



TAYLOR S REPORT CONTINUED. 285 

they intercepted several of our men. Approaching the 
town, they were fired upon by Captain Webster, from 
the redoubt occupied by his company, and then moved 
off towards the eastern side of the valley, and obliquely 
tow^ards Buena Vista, At this time, Captain Shover 
moved rapidly forward with his piece, supported by a 
miscellaneous command of mounted volunteers, and 
fired several shots at the cavalry with great effect. 
They were driven into the ravines which lead to the 
lower valley, closely pursued by Captain Shover, who 
was farther supported by a piece of Captain Webster's 
battery, under Lieutenant Donaldson, which had ad- 
vanced from the redoubt, supported by Captain Wheel- 
er's company of Illinois volunteers. The enemy made 
one or two efforts to charge the artillery, but was finally 
driven back in a confused mass, and did not again ap- 
pear upon the plain. 

" In the meantime the firing had partially ceased 
upon the principal field. The enemy seemed to con- 
fine his efforts to the protection of his artillery, and I 
had left the plateau for a moment, when I was recalled 
thither by a very heavy musketry fire. On regaining 
that position, I discovered that our infantry (Illinois 
and Second Kentucky) had engaged a greatly superior 
force of the enemy — evidently his reserve — and that 
they had been overwhelmed by numbers. The mo- 
ment w^as most critical. Captain O'Brien, with two 
pieces, had sustained this heavy charge to the last, and 
was finally obliged to leave his guns on the field — his 
infantry support being entirely routed. Captain Bragg, 
who had just arrived from the left, was ordered at 
once into battery. Without any infantry to support 
him, and at the imminent risk of losing his guns, this 
officer came rapidly into action, the Mexican line being 



286 TAYLOR S KErORT CONTIMTED. 

but a few yards from the muzzles of his pieces. The 
first discharge of canister caused the enemy to hesi- 
tate ; the second and third drove him back in disorder 
and saved the day. The Second Kentucky regiment, 
which had advanced beyond supporting distance in 
this affair was driven back and closely pressed by the 
enemy's cavalr}^ Taking a ravine which led in the 
direction of Captain Washington's battery, their pur- 
suers became exposed to his fire, which soon checked 
and drove them back with loss. In the meantime the 
rest of our artillery had taken position on the plateau, 
covered by the Mississippi and Third Indiana regi- 
ments, the former of which had reached the ground in 
time to pour a fire into the right flank of the enemy, 
and thus contribute to his repulse. In this last con- 
flict we had the misfortune to sustain a very heavy 
loss. Colonel Hardin, First Illinois, and Colonel Mc- 
Kee and Lieutenant-Colonel Clay, Second Kentucky 
regiment, fell at this time, while gallantly leading their 
commands. 

" No farther attempt was made by the enemy to force 
our position, and the approach of night gave an oppor- 
tunity to pay proper attention to the wounded, and also 
to refresh the soldiers, who had been exhausted by in- 
cessant watchfulness and combat. Though the nisrht 
w^as severely cold, the troops were compelled for the 
most to bivouac without fires, expecting that morning 
would renew the conflict. During the night the 
wounded were removed to Saltillo, and every prepara- 
tion made to receive the enemy, should he again attack 
our position. Seven fresh companies were drawn from 
the town, and Brigadier-General Marshall, with a rein- 
forcement of Kentucky cavalry and four heavy guns, 
under Captain Prentiss, First artillery, wag near at 



Taylor's report continued. 287 

hand, when it was discovered that the enemy had 
abandoned his position during the night. Our scouts 
soon ascertained that he had fallen back upon Agua 
Nueva. The great disparity of numbers, and the ex- 
haustion of our troops, rendered it inexpedient and 
hazardous to attempt pursuit. A staff officer was 
dispatched to General Santa Anna, to negotiate an 
exchange of prisoners, which was satisfactorily com- 
pleted on the following day. Our own dead were col- 
lected and buried, and the Mexican wounded, of which 
a large number had been left upon the field, were re- 
moved to Saltillo, and rendered as comfortable as cir- 
cumstances would permit. 

" On the evening of the 26th, a close reconnoissance 
was made of the enemy's position, which was found to 
be occupied only by a small body of cavalry, the in- 
fantry and artillery having retreated in the direction 
of San Luis Potosi. On the 27th, our troops resumed 
their former camp at Agua Nueva, the enemy's rear- 
guard evacuating the place as we approached, leaving 
a considerable number of wounded. It was my pur- 
pose to beat up his quarters at Encarnacion early the 
next morning, but upon examination, the weak condi- 
tion of the cavalry horses rendered it unadvisable to 
attempt so long a march without water. A command 
was finally dispatched tt> Encarnacion, on the 1st of 
March, under Colonel Belknap. Some two hundred 
wounded, and about sixty Mexican soldiers were found 
there, the army having passed on in the direction of 
Matehuala, with greatly reduced numbers, and suffer- 
ing much from hunger. The dead and dying were 
strewed upon the road and crowded the buildings of 
the hacienda. 

"The American force engaged in the action of 



288 Taylor's report continued. 

Bueiia Vista is shown, by the accompanying field-re- 
port, to have been three hundred and thirty-four offi- 
cers, and four thousand four hundred and twenty-five 
men, exclusive of the small command left in and near 
Saltillo. Of this number, two squadrons of cavalry^ 
and three batteries of light artillery, making not more 
than four hundred and fifty-three men, composed the 
only force of regular troops. The strength of the 
Mexican army is stated by General Santa Anna, in his 
summons, to he twenty thousand ; and that estimate is 
confirmed by all the information since obtained. Our 
loss is two hundred and sixty-seven killed, four hundred 
and fifty-six wounded, and twenty-three missing. Of 
the numerous w^ounded, many did not require removal 
to the hospital, and it is hoped that a comparatively 
small number w411 be permanently disabled. The 
Mexican loss in killed and w^ounded may be fairly esti- 
mated at one thousand and five hundred, and will 
probably reach two thousand. At least five hundred 
of their killed were left upon the field of battle. We 
have no means of ascertaining the number of deserters 
and dispersed men from their ranks, but it is known to 
be very great. 

" Our loss has been especially severe in officers, 
twenty-eight having been killed upon the field. We 
have to lament the death of Captain George Lincoln, 
assistant adjutant-general, serving in the staff of Gen- 
eral Wool — a young officer of high bearing and ap- 
proved gallantry, who fell early in the action. No 
loss falls more heavily upon the army in the field, than 
that of Colonels Hardin and McKee, and Lieutenan- 
Colonel Clay. Possessing in a remarkable degree the 
confidence of their commands, and the last two having 
enjoyed the advantage of a miUtary education, I had 



TAYLOR S REPORT CONTINUED. 289 

looked particularly to them for support in case we met 
the enemy. I need not say that their zeal in engaging 
the enemy, and the cool and steadfast courage with 
which they maintained their positions during the day, 
fully realized my hopes, and caused me to feel yet 
more sensibly their untimely loss. 

" I perform a grateful duty in bringing to the notice 
of the Government the general good conduct of the 
troops. Exposed for successive nights, without fires, 
to the severity of the weather, they were very prompt 
and cheerful in the discharge of every duty ; and 
finally displayed conspicuous steadiness and gallantry 
in repulsing, at great odds, a disciplined foe. While 
the brilliant success achieved by their arms releases 
me from the painful necessity of specifying many cases 
of bad conduct before the enemy, I feel an increased 
obligation to mention particular corps and officers, 
whose skill, coolness and gallantr}^ in trying situations, 
and under a continued and heavy fire, seem to merit 
particular notice. 

*' To Brigadier-General Wool my obligations are 
especially due. The high state of discipline and in- 
struction of several of the volunteer regiments was 
attained under his command, and to his vigilance and 
arduous service before the action, and his gallantry and 
activity on the field, a large share of our success may 
justly be attributed. During most of the engagement 
he was in immediate command of the troops thrown 
back on our left flank. I beg leave to recommend him 
to the favorable notice of the government. Brigadier- 
General Lane (slightly wounded,) was active and 
zealous throughout the day, and displayed great cool- 
ness and gallantry before the enemy. 

" The services of the light artillery, always con- 



290 TAYLOR S REPORT CONTINUED. 

spicuous, were more than usually distinguished. Mov- 
ing rapidly over the roughest ground, it was always in 
action at the right place, and the right time, and its 
well-directed fire dealt destruction in the masses of the 
enemy. While I recommend to particular favor the 
gallant conduct and valuable services of Major Munroe, 
chief of artillery, and Captains Washington, Fourth 
artillery, and Sherman and Bragg, Third artillery, 
commanding batteries, I deem it no more than just to 
mention all the subaltern officers. They were nearly 
all detached at different times, and in every situation 
exhibited conspicuous skill and gallantry. Captain 
O'Brien, Lieutenants Brent, Whiting, and Couch, 
Fourth artillery, and Bryan, topographical engineers, 
(slightly wounded,) were attached to Captain Wash- 
ington's battery. Lieutenants Thomas, Reynolds, and 
French, Third artillery, (severely wounded,) to that of 
Captain Sherman ; and Captain Shover and Lieutenant 
Kilburn, Third artillery, to that of Captain Bragg. 
Captain Shover, in conjunction with Lieutenant Don- 
aldson, First artillery, rendered gallant and important 
service in repulsing the cavalry of General Minon. 
The regular cavalry, under Lieutenant-Colonel May, 
with which was associated Captain Pike's squadron 
of Arkansas horse, rendered useful service in holding 
the enemy in check, and in covering the batteries at 
several pomts. Captain Steene, First dragoons, was 
severely wounded early in the day, while gallantly en- 
deavoring, with my authority, to rally the troops which 
were falling to the rear. 

" The Mississippi riflemen, under Colonel Davis, 
were highly conspicuous for their gallantry and stead- 
iness, and sustained throughout the engagement the 
reputation of veteran troops. Brought into action 



Taylor's report continued. 291 

against an immensely superior force, they maintained 
themselves for a long time unsupported, and with heavy 
loss, and held an important part of the field until re- 
inforced. Colonel Davis, though severely wounded, 
remained in the saddle until the close of the action. 
His distinguished coolness and gallantry at the head of 
his regiment on this day, entitle him to the particular 
notice of the government. The Third Indiana reg- 
iment, under Colonel Lane, and a fragment of the 
Second, under Colonel Bowles, were associated with 
the Mississippi regiment during the greater portion of 
the day, and acquitted themselves creditably in repuls- 
ing the attempts of the enemy to break that portion of 
our line. The Kentucky cavalry, under Colonel Mar- 
shall, rendered good service dismounted, acting as 
light troops on our left, and afterwards, with a portion 
of the Arkansas regiment, in meeting and dispersing 
the column of cavalry at Buena Vista. The First and 
Second Illinois, and the Kentucky regiments, served 
immediately under my eye, and I bear a willing testi- 
mony to their excellent conduct throughout the day. 
The spirit and gallantry with wiiich the First Illinois 
and Second Kentucky engaged the enemy in the 
morning, restored confidence to that part of the field, 
while the list of casualties will show how much these 
three regiments suffered in sustaining the heavy charge 
of the enemy in the afternoon. Captain Conner's 
company of Texas volunteers, attached to the Second 
Illinois regiment, fought bravely, its captain being 
wounded and two subalterns killed. Colonel Bissell, 
the only surviving colonel of these regiments, merits 
notice for his coolness and bravery on this occasion 
After the fall of the field-ofi^icers of the First Illinois 
and Second Kentucky regiments, the command of the 



293 Taylor's report continued. 

former devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Weather- 
ford ; that of the latter on Major Fry. 

" Regimental commanders and others who have ren- 
dered reports, speak in general terms of the good con- 
duct of their officers and men, and have specified many- 
names, but the hmits of this report forbid a recapitula- 
tion of them here. I may, however, mention Lieuten- 
ants Rucker and Campbell of the dragoons, and Captain 
Pike, Arkansas cavalry, commanding squadrons ; Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Field, Kentucky cavalry ; Lieutenant- 
Colonel Roane, Arkansas cavalry, upon whom the com- 
mand devolved after the fall of Colonel Yell ; Major 
Bradford, Captain Sharpe (severely wounded,) and Ad- 
jutant Griffith, Mississippi regiment ; Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Hadden, Second Indiana regiment, and Lieutenant 
Robinson, aide-de-camp to General Lane ; Lieutenant- 
Colonel Weatherford, First Illinois regiment ; Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Morrison, Major Trail, and Adjutant 
Whiteside, (severely wounded,) Second Illinois regi- 
ment ; and Major Fry, Second Kentucky regiment, as 
being favorably noticed for gallantry and good conduct. 
Major McCuUoch, quartermaster in the volunteer ser- 
vice, rendered important services before the engage- 
ment, in the command of a spy company, and during 
the affair was associated with the regular cavalry. To 
Major Warren, First Illinois volunteers, I feel much in- 
debted for his firm and judicious course, while exercis- 
ing command in the city of Saltillo. 

" The medical staff, under the able direction of As- 
sistant Surgeon Hitchcock, were assiduous in attention 
to the wounded on the field, and in their careful remo- 
val to the rear. Both in these respects, and in the sub- 
sequent organization and service of the hospitals, the 



taylor'3 report continued. 293 

administration of this department was everything that 
could be wished. 

" Brigadier-General Wool speaks in high terms of the 
officers of his staff, and I take pleasure in mentioning 
them here, having witnessed their activity and zeal 
upon the field. Lieutenant and Aide-de-camp McDow- 
ell, Colonel Churchill, inspector general. Captain Chap- 
man, assistant quartermaster, Lieutenant Sitgreaves, 
topographical engineers, and Captains Howard and 
Davis, volunteer service, are conspicuously noticed by 
the General for their gallantry and good conduct. 
Messrs. March, Addicks, Potts, Harrison, Burgess, and 
Dusenbery, attached in various capacities to General 
Wool's headquarters, are likewise mentioned for their 
intelligent alacrity in conveying orders to all parts of 
the field. 

" In conclusion, I beg leave to speak of my own staff, 
to whose exertions in rallying troops and communicat- 
ing orders I feel greatly indebted. Major Bliss, assist- 
ant adjutant-general. Captain J. H. Eaton, and Lieu- 
tenant R. S. Garnett, aides-de-camp, served near my 
person, and were prompt and zealous in the discharge 
of every duty. Major Munroe, besides rendering val- 
uable service as chief of artillery, was active and in- 
strumental, as were also Colonels Churchill and Belknap, 
inspectors general, in rallying troops and disposing them 
for the defence of the train and baggage. Colonel 
Whiting, quartermaster-general, and Captain Eaton, 
chief of the subsistence department, were engaged with 
the duties of their departments, and also served in my 
immediate staff on the field. Captain Sibley, assistant 
quartermaster, was necessarily left with the headquarter 
camp near town, where his services were highly useful. 
Major Mansfield and Lieutenant Benham, engineers, 



294 SANTA anna's humane summons. 

and Captain Linnard and Lieutenants Pope and Frank- 
lin, topographical engineers, were employed before and 
during the engagement in making reconnoissances, and 
on the field were very active in bringing information 
and in conveying my orders to distant points. Lieu- 
tenant Kingsbury, in addition to his proper duties as 
ordnance officer. Captain Chilton, assistant quarter- 
master, and Majors Dix and Coffee, served also as extra 
aides-de-camp, and were actively employed in the trans- 
mission of orders. Mr. Thomas L. Crittenden, of Ken- 
tucky, though not in service, volunteered as my aide- 
de-camp on this occasion, and served with credit in 
that capacity. Major Craig, chief of ordnance, and 
Surgeon Craig, medical director, had been detached on 
duty from headquarters, and did not reach the ground 
until the morning of the 24th — too late to participate 
in the action, but in time to render useful services in 
their respective departments of the staff 

The following is the summons of Santa Anna to 
General Taylor to surrender. It evinces much more 
humanity for the American troops than the Mexican 
general had ever shown for his own, and is a model of 
that assurance for which he is far more celebrated than 
for his military talent or courage. 

" You are surrounded by twenty thousand men, and 
cannot, in any human probability, avoid suffering a 
rout, and being cut to pieces with your troops ; but as 
you deserve consideration and particular esteem, I wish 
to save you from a catastrophe, and for that purpose 
give you this notice, in order that you may surrender 
at discretion, under the assurance that you will be 
treated wdth the consideration belonging to the Mexican 
character ; to which end you will be granted an hour's 



SANTA anna's ACCOUNT. 293 

time to make up your mind, to commence from the mo- 
ment when my flag of truce arrives in your camp." 

To this characteristic document General Taylor im- 
mediately returned the following laconic and modest 
reply : 

" In reply to your note of this date, summoning me 
to surrender my forces at discretion, I beg leave to say 
that I decline acceding to your request." 

Having now given the sober facts of one of the most 
decisive as well as the most remarkable victories ever 
won by American arms, it is appropriate to present 
some of the romance of history connected with an event 
which is the source of so much just pride in America, 
and of admiration in Europe. The official report of 
the battle by General Santa Anna, supplies this embel- 
lishment. This report of the wily Mexican commander, 
however, is important in another point of view ; for 
while it claims a victory over the American forces, it 
virtually sustains General Taylor's account, and proves 
t-hat the Mexican army was almost literally cut to pieces. 
No one can question this fact after having read the art- 
ful and ingenious attempt to cover the disasters he had 
suffered, and justify to his government his failure to re- 
deem the just expectations that had been created by 
his magnificent preparations and his more magnificent 
promises. He says : 

" In my dispatch from the battle-field of Angostura, 
dated the 23d, I promised to give you details of the 
action of the 23d, so soon as I should effect the move- 
ment which our entire lack of water and of all supplies 
made indispensable. In those engagements the army 
and the nation have restored the lustre of their arms, 
by overcoming obstacles inconceivable to all save those 
who witnessed them. These arose, not only from the 



296 HIS EMBARRASSMENTS. 

difficulties of this contest, and of our own situation, 
but also from the rigor of the season, and the ex- 
haustion of the country along an almost desert route 
of over fifty leagues, that was destitute of good water, 
and of all save the most limited supplies. 

" The supreme government was informed by com- 
munications made before my leaving San Luis, that 
the army under my command would not commence its 
operations till the end of winter, as I knew by experi- 
ence the severe climate of the region, which was also 
scant of habitations, provisions, shelter, and even of 
fuel. I therefore resolved to go on organizing, drill- 
ing, arming and clothing the army ; and, in a word, to 
put into a military shape the forces which had just 
been assembled. My intentions, however, could not 
be maturely realized. 

" The want of pecuniary resources embarrassed all 
my dispositions. The soldiers, though w^ell disposed 
to combat with the enemy, had been badly supplied for 
a month, and would soon have been in want even of 
food, but that the exertions of the commanders of corps 
prevented that destitution from driving them from their 
ranks. While those meritorious men were suffering 
all kinds of privation, certain writers, from ignorance, 
want of reflection, party spirit, or, perhaps, from mis- 
taken patriotism, were zealously engaged in thwarting 
the plans which might otherwise have proved success- 
ful. This they did by unjust charges against the army 
and particular individuals, whom they abused for not 
marching to the conflict, accusing them of want of 
decision, and asserting that the position of the army at 
San Luis w^as more threatening to our liberties than to 
the enemy. In the clubs of that capital they labored 
with assiduity to make the army the instrument of a 



A CHARGE OF TREASON. 297 

revolt ; but I frustrated their intrigues by timely steps. 
There was one writer who had the audacity to intimate 
that I was in collusion with the enemy. Yes, I, to 
whom they may attribute errors, but whose w^iole pre- 
vious course has shown the most elevated patriotism ! 
Traitors are they who seek not only to traduce me, 
but, by their detraction of the army, to unnerve its 
vigor for the service of the country. It seems as if a 
fatality directs the destinies of this nation, and inter- 
dicts a unanimity of the pubhc will for its defence ; 
and from this fatal blindness, the moment when every 
heart and every aspiration should be directed to one 
object, is the very juncture when division and distrust 
are disseminated. Behold me, then, compelled by 
every circumstance to change my plans. Desertion 
had already commenced to a shameful extent ; and I 
was fully persuaded that if the scarcity should con- 
tinue, the army would be dishonorably frittered away. 
I therefore resolved that, if annihilated, it should be 
with glory. Having no supplies, I, to obtain them, 
compromitted my private fortune and the credit of my- 
self and friends. All this procured me the sum of one 
hundred and eighty thousand dollars, with w^hich I 
was able to furnish the needful supplies to the army 
for twelve days. I knew well the country we had to 
cross, and the necessity there would be for carrying 
provisions ; and I sympathized in anticipation with the 
soldier for what he would endure from the rigor of 
the season ; but to render good service to the country, 
and save its honor, I had to overlook all this. 

" The army moved from San Luis by brigades, so as 
to render available the scanty resources afforded by 
the country we were to cross. The force consisted of 
thirteen thousand four hundred and thirty-two infan- 



298 FORCE UNDER HIS COMMAND. 

try, divided into twenty-eight battalions; four thou- 
sand three hundred and thirty-eight cavalry, in thirty- 
nine squadrons ; and a train of artillery of three twenty- 
four pounders, three sixteen-pounders, five twelve-poun- 
ders, five eight-pounders, and a seven-inch howitzer, 
all served by four hundred and thirteen artillerymen — 
the total being eighteen thousand one hundred and 
thirty-three men. Of this force there remained behind, 
the garrison of the works of San Luis, and others 
w^hich I allotted to the towns on the route ; as also two 
squadrons to escort our small and only reserve of am- 
munition ; a brigade of infantry, of two battalions, 
under General Don Ciriaco Vasquez, which remained 
as a corps of reserve in Matehuala, and of observation 
upon Tula ; as also a brigade of cavalry, under General 
Don Jose Urrea. The latter was intended to pass 
Tula, and move through Tamaulipas to the neighbor- 
hood of Monterey, so as to call the enemy's attention 
to that quarter. The point of concentration for the 
brigades ought necessarily to be near this place, so that 
in the region through which they had to move, many 
troops might not be at once thrown together. I there- 
fore fixed on the hacienda of Encarnacion for that 
point, it being, as I calculated, the last stage but one of 
my march. I there held a review of the army, which 
had already lost a thousand men by sickness and deser- 
tion. The former was caused by the scantiness and 
bad quality of food, and still more of water, which 
was brackish as well as scarce, as also by snow storms 
and the exposure of the troops, who had always to be 
in bivouac and without fuel. These snow storms 
obliged me to suspend the march two days, till the 
weather became more settled ; for the cold had already 
caused the death of several men and horses, and I felt 



THE PLAN OF BATTLE. 899 

bound by every means to diminish the losses we were 
incurring. These hardships will account for the num- 
ber of desertions which occurred up to our arrival at 
Encarnacion, and which afterwards even increased. 
It must also be remembered, that almost the whole army 
had been recently formed, and, as is well known, of 
men taken by violence from their homes. 

" We had advices that the enemy were fortified in 
the hacienda of Agua Nueva, with six thousand men 
and thirty pieces, resolved to defend the defiles known 
by the names of the passes of Canero and Agua Nueva. 
The Americans did not know the precise point on 
which our march was directed ; for, though they ex- 
changed some shots with our advance in Encarnacion, 
and had frequently small skirmishes with us in the 
above passes, they supposed our troops to be scouting 
parties of the first brigade of cavalry, under Don Jose 
V. Minon, whom I had advanced as far as the hacienda 
of Potosi. These were the impressions when I made 
my dispositions. 

" It was my intention to place my forces between the 
enemy and Saltillo, so as to oblige him to fight under 
the disadvantage of having his communication cut oflf, 
or, if he would not leave his works, to enable me to 
besiege him in Agua Nueva. The plan might be car- 
ried out in three different ways. One was by march- 
ing twenty leagues by the direct road ; another by mo- 
ving to the right by La Hedionda, so as to occupy 
Buena Vista ; and the third, by moving to the left by 
La Punta de Santa Elena, so as to occupy the ha- 
cienda of La Banqueria, and thereafter the road to 
Saltillo. The two last movements were at this time 
impracticable, for they would either of them require 

three or four days' march, while we were without 
13 



300 A MEXICAN DESERTER. 

provisions, forage, or water. I therofore resolved to 
operate by the direct road, force the positions, and, 
after passing the last defile, make a diversion by the 
left, and occupy the rancho of Encantada, with the 
view of obtaining water, none of which was to be had 
for more than eighteen leagues. All this was favored 
by the enemy's ignorance of our march ; but misfor- 
tune still followed us. A deserter from the regiment 
of Coraceras, a native of Saltillo, named Francisco 
Valdes, passed over from Encarnacion to the enemy, 
and gave him information of the movement. The ex- 
ecrable treason of this infamous wretch frustrated the 
best combinations. 

" On the 21st, at noon, I ordered the march to com- 
mence, the four light battalions, under General Don 
Pedro Ampudia, forming the vanguard. I had not 
hesitated to allow that general, and other officers who 
had been court-martialled for the affair of Monterey, 
to participate in these operations, not only because I 
did not consider them culpable, but also on account of 
the zeal they manifested. This brigade was followed 
by one of artillery, of sixteen-pounders, with the regi- 
ments of engineers and their train, and those by the 
park of the regiment of hussars. Then came the First 
division, commanded by General Don Manuel Lom- 
"bardini, with four twelve-pounders and the park. The 
second division, under General Don Francisco Pacheco, 
followed next, with four eight-pounders and their park ; 
after these the whole of the cavalry, under Don Julian 
Juvera ; and then the remainder of the general park 
and baggage, the rear being covered by a brigade of 
cavalry under General Don Manuel Andrade. 

" In this order of march the troops were ordered to 
make the first fourteen leagues, between Encenada 



A BAD DISAPPOINTMENT. 801 

and a plain called De la Guerra, which is in front of the 
first defile called the pass of the Pinones ; and to pass 
the night on that plain in the same order of column. 
The troops having eaten their rations, order was given 
for carrying water, as none could be met with till the 
day following, after having overcome the enemy at 
Agua Nueva, three leagues beyond the aforesaid pass. 
I, with my staff and the regiment of engineers, occu- 
pied the front, a little behind the light troops. On ar- 
riving at the plain De la Guerra, I continued the march 
in order to pass the defile of Pinones, which was ac- 
complished ; and I ordered the light brigade to take a 
position in the pass of Carnero, where it had a skir- 
mish with an advance of the enemy. Under these 
dispositions we passed the night. 

" At dawn on the 22d the army continued its march, 
with the idea of carrying by force of arms the pass of 
Agua Nueva which I supposed would be defended by 
the enemy ; but I found to my surprise that it had been 
abandoned. I then concluded that the American for- 
ces had retired to their fortifications in the hacienda, 
to concentrate their defence under cover of the in- 
trenchments which I had heard they had there thrown 
up. Under this idea I continued the march, in order 
to turn by the right to the rancho of Encantada, which, 
as I have before mentioned, is on the Saltillo road, be- 
ing between that city and Agua Nueva, and four or 
five leagues from each. Till that time no one had ap- 
peared to give me information, nor did any one after, 
except a servant from Agua Nueva, who told me that 
the enemy had been evacuating his position since the 
day previous, and falling back towards Saltillo ; and 
that on that same morning, the hacienda had been 
wholly abandoned, by the retreat of a small detach- 



302 AX IMAGINED RETREAT. 

ment which escorted a large quantity of munitions. 
By this movement my first plans and dispositions, 
founded on an expected resistance, were rendered abor- 
tive ; but I still did not despair of a successful result, 
for I had in anticipation directed General Minon, with 
his cavalry brigade, twelve hundred strong, to occupy, 
on the morning of the 22d, the hacienda of Buena 
Vista, distant three short leagues from Saltillo. This 
force might arrest the enemy's march, or, at least, make 
a diversion that would give time for the army to come 
up. I therefore continued my march, without losing 
more time than would allow the soldiers to drink water 
on the road. The light brigade came within sight of 
the enemy's rear-guard, and I ordered them to charge 
in conjunction with the hussar regiment. I had rea- 
son to believe the enemy were making a precipitate 
retreat, as they left several articles on the road, such 
as carts, forge implements, extra wheels, and other 
things, which we gathered while marching. In conse- 
quence of the different reports I received, I ordered the 
cavalry to advance ; I thought we would be able to 
reach their rear-guard, and placed myself at the head 
of those troops. 

" On arriving at a place called Angostura, I found 
the main body of the enemy awaiting me in position. 
The road from the pass of Pinones to Saltillo runs be- 
tween two chains of mountains, which form that pass 
and those of Carnero and Agua Nueva. The ridges 
open beyond the hacienda, and approach each other 
again at Angostura, w^here the road turns to the right. 
At this place there is a succession of ridges, which run 
out toward the line of our route, and at right angles 
with it, and between them are ravines which form the 
drains of the mountains on the right. They are more 



MISREPRESENTATION OF TAYLOR S FORCES. 303 

or less passable, but all very difficult. The enemy's 
position was in front and in rear of the road, his right 
and front being covered by ravines that were impassa- 
ble, even for infantry, and a battery of four pieces be- 
ing planted on the highest point. His battalions were 
formed on the heights with two other batteries, one of 
which was in a low part of the road, betwen two hills ; 
and, to my view, their forces appeared to be about 
eight thousand men, with twenty pieces ; but the pris- 
oners taken from them report twenty-six pieces, and 
upwards of eight thousand combatants. 

" I reconnoitred the position and situation of the 
enemy, and ordered the director of engineers, General 
Don Ignacio de Mora y Villamil, to do the same. Af- 
ter ascertaining the force of the invader, it was neces- 
sary either to await the infantry, to take position, or 
to fight, as might seem most advisable. At this inter- 
val, I observed that the enemy had neglected to occupy 
a height on his left flank ; and, without losing a mo- 
ment, I ordered General Ampudia's light brigade to 
take possession of, and hold it at every cost. As the 
brigade came up, I formed them in two lines on a ris- 
ing ground that fronted the enemy, there being an- 
other eminence between our two positions ; the first 
division of infantry was under the command of Gene- 
ral Lombardini, and the second under the command 
of General Pacheco. I directed that General Mora y 
Villamil, in conjunction with the commanding general 
of artillery, Don Antonio Corona, should find a posi- 
tion for a battery of sixteen-pounders, to be sustained 
by the regiment of engineers. Two other batteries of 
twelve and eight-pounders, w^ere located by me. The 
cavalry, commanded by General Juvera, were placed 
on the right of our rear, and on our left flank. The 



304 SANTA ANNA COMMENCES THE ATTACK. 

regiment of hussars was also posted in the rear, and 
on the left flank aforesaid was a height which I or- 
dered the battalion of Leon to occupy. The general 
park was in the rear, covered by the brigade of Gen- 
eral Andrade, and between this park and the lines of 
battle I took my own position. 

" The making of these dispositions, as may be sup- 
posed, occupied some time, for the troops arrived at 
their positions after a march of more than twenty 
leagues. It was therefore not an hour for combat, and 
the army lay on its arms. The enemy, however, so 
soon as he perceived that we had occupied the height 
that flanked his left and our right, dispatched two bat 
talions to dislodge us, which led to a warm engagement, 
that lasted all the afternoon and till after dark, when 
he was repulsed with the loss of four hundred men, ac- 
cording to the report of the prisoners. Ours was much 
less, as we had the advantage of the ground. 

" At dawn on the 23rd I mounted my horse ; the 
enemy had not changed his previous dispositions, and 
was ready to receive us. I observed but one differ- 
ence, which was, that on his right, and at some distance 
from his position, he had formed two bodies of infan- 
try, with a battery of four pieces, as if with the intent 
of threatening our left flank, but I at once believed this 
to be a mere demonstration, for he would never have 
left in his rear the difficult ground which gave strength 
to that position, being the web of impassable ravines 
before referred to. I, therefore, gave no attention to 
this disposition of his forces, and resolved to move 
mine by the right. With this intention, I advanced 
the divisions of General Lombardini and General Pa- 
checo in that direction. I ordered General Don Man- 
uel Micheltorena to plant the battery of eight-pound- 



DISPOSITION OF HIS FORCES. 305 

ers on our right flank, so as to rake obliquely the 
enemy's line, and to remain with the staff of which he 
was chief, and await my orders. I directed that Gen- 
eral Ampudia, with the light brigade, should charge by 
our left flank on the enemy's right, and that General 
Mora y Villamil should form a column of attack com- 
posed of the regiment of engineers, the 12th battahon, 
the fijo de Mexico, and the companies of Puebla and 
Tampico, commanded by Colonel Don Santiago Blanco. 
At the same time, I directed General Corona, com- 
manding the artillery, to place the battery of twelve- 
pounders in a more commanding position, while the 
Third division remained in reserve, Under Brevet- 
General Don Jose Maria Ortega. 

So soon as the enemy perceived our movements, he 
commenced the action at all points, attacked our troops 
with intrepidity, and maintained the conflict with great 
vigor. Our men received them with proper energy, 
driving back and following up the assailants. At this 
time my horse was disabled by a grape shot, and it was 
some time before I could mount another. As the en- 
emy had yielded ground, I ordered the cavalry to ad- 
vance and charge, which was done with vigor. Suit- 
able orders had been sent to the generals of division 
and brigade, among the rest to General Don Angel 
Guzman ; but, though the officers and troops acted 
with great resolution, it was impossible to overcome 
the difficulties of the ground ; and after a struggle 
which did them honor, they were obliged to fall back 
to their positions. After various alternations, the same 
occurred with the infan try. 

" The battle which commenced at seven in the morn- 
ing, was prolonged for many hours, our loss every mo- 
ment accumulating. Many officers and soldiers had 



306 ADMITS HIS HEAVY LOSSES. 

already been killed, and a number of commanders and 
distinguished officers wounded, among whom were 
General Lombardini, Lieutenant-Colonels Brito, Gal- 
loso, and others. Among the slain were Lieutenant- 
Colonels Asonos, Berra, and other meritorious officers, 
whose loss the country will ever lament. The enemy 
maintained his ground with the utmost obstinacy, inso- 
much that some of our troops faltered in their attacks, 
and many of the raw recruits dispersed. This, how- 
ever, ought to exalt the merit of those whose intrepid- 
ity was never paralyzed, and may also be cited to show 
how hotly contested was the action. 

" Things were in this situation when I concluded to 
make the final effi^rt. With this view I ordered that a 
battery of twenty-four pounders should be mounted ; 
that the column of attack then posted on our left flank, 
where it had no object of operation, should be trans- 
ferred to our right, and there be joined by the remains 
of the Eleventh regiment, the battalion of Leon, and 
the reserves, ail under the command of Brevet-Gene- 
ral Don Francisco Perez. I executed this in person, 
and afterwards sent for General Mora y Villamil, and 
made him acquainted v/ith my final disposition. I had 
already directed Generals Perez and Pacheco, each 
with his command, to be prepared for an extreme strug- 
gle, and had ordered the battery of eight-pounders to 
advance and take the enemy's line in flank. The 
charge was made with daring sralor, and was resisted 
with animated vigor, with a fii-e so heavy and rapid as 
to cause admiration ; but the Americans could not sus- 
tain themselves — they were di ven back and overcome, 
with the loss of three pieces of cannon and as many 
stands of colors. I sent two of the latter to the gov- 
ernment with my last dispatch ; the other, which I 



GREAT GLORY HE ACaUlRED. 307 

then omitted to notice, will be presented to the honor- 
able congress of the state of San Luis Potosi, as a 
testimonial of the army's gratitude for the patriotic 
services they had rendered, and the generous sacrifices 
they had made for its benefit. We moreover capt-iied 
a travelling forge, and some smaller articles, which I 
will not enumerate. Our cavalry, which so bravely 
executed the order to charge, reached the enemy's 
rearmost positions ; but, owing to the nature of the 
ground and the fatigue of the men and horses, I did not 
think it prudent to attempt to dislodge them from those. 
The battle closed at six in the evening, our troops be- 
ing then formed on the ground which the Americans 
had occupied. Our last effort w^ould have been deci- 
sive, if General Minon had done his part by attacking 
the enemy in the rear ; but he omitted to do it, and I 
am under the painful necessity of subjecting his con- 
duct to a court-martial, that he may explain it. An 
action thus contested necessarily involved considerable 
loss. Ours in killed and wounded amounted to more 
than fifteen hundred men, and that of the enemy was 
much greater, for we had time to take a view of the 
great number of their dead. 

" The plans of these two actions, and of the route 
from Agua Nueva to Saltillo, and the reports of the 
generals of division and brigade, which I send with 
this to your excellency, will give the supreme govern- 
ment an idea of such details as I have not dwelt on 
without making this report more diffuse ; but this will 
still serve to attest the bravery of our troops, and the 
glory acquired by the nation during these days of 
action. 

" In the order of the day, I expressed, as in duty 
bound, ray satisfaction with the conduct of the officers, 
13* 



808 BRAVERY OF HIS OFFICERS. 

commanders of corps, and generals, and gave them 
thanks for it in the name of the repubhc. I could wish 
to announce in this report the names of many com- 
manding officers, that their memory may be engraved 
on Lxie gratitude of the nation, not only for their reso- 
lute and honorable deportment in both actions, but for 
the constancy with which they have overcome so many 
privations, sufferings and fatigues, and given therein 
an example both of civic and military worth. Anxious 
to do this justice, I adopt, as my own, the authorship 
of those eulogies which the generals of brigade and di- 
vision have bestowed on their subordinates. I would 
moreover, place in view of the government, the merit 
manifested by the director-general of engineers, Don 
Ignacio Mora y Villamil, who fulfilled, to my entire 
satisfaction, all the duties I assigned to him, for which 
I consider him worthy of the highest praise, and of 
such remuneration as the supreme government may be 
pleased to award to his distinguished services. Gene- 
ral Ampudia, to whom, from the favorable opinion 
which I had of him, I intrusted the command of the 
four light battalions, acquitted himself with gallantry. 
General Lombardini, who commanded the First division 
of infantry, conducted himself with valor, and was 
wounded. General Pacheco, commanding the Second 
division of infantry, came up to my orders and his 
duties, and fought to my satisfaction. General Juvera 
comported himself honorably, and had his horse killed 
under him. Brevet General Torrejon received a con- 
tusion, and General Guzman displayed the gallantry 
for which he was already distinguished, and was 
wounded. Brevet-General Micheltorena, as head of 
the staff, duly performed all that belonged to his station; 
and I also confided to his special charge the battery of 



WHY TAYLOR GOT OFF SO WELL. 309 

eight-pounders, which was the most in advance. Gen- 
eral Perez acted as might be expected from his accus. 
tomed gallantry, and for this 1 intrusted to his command 
the troops I have before mentioned, with which he con- 
tributed to disorder the line of the enemy at five in the 
evening. I would also commend General Ortega, who 
commanded the Third division of foot, and performed 
his duties to my satisfaction, as also Brevet-General 
Uraga, and Generals Parrodi, Portilla, Vasquez, Jau- 
regui, Terres, and Sanchez. 

" It is entirely due to the commanding general of 
artillery, Don iintonio Corona, that I should commend 
him for carrying out my dispositions, as might be ex- 
pected from him, and for laboring assiduously at San 
Luis, in the heaviest duties of his branch of service ; 
and it is a pleasing duty for me to laud the merit ac- 
quired by Colonel Banencli, and Colonel Brito, who 
was wounded ; Colonel Aldrede, of the hussars, who, 
to my satisfaction, evinced his usual bravery ; Colonel 
S. Blanco, who commanded a column of attack on the 
left, and acted well, and Colonel M. Blanco— both of 
the last being of the engineers— as also Colonel Obando, 
of the flying artillery, and Colonel Garay. 

" The'report of the killed and wounded, which I also 
send, will show what has been our loss. I should be 
lacking in justice, and not express my own feelings, 
were I not most earnestly to request that attention be 
paid, as is by law provided, to the cases of the widows, 
orphans, and such of the wounded as may be perma- 
nently disabled. 

" The formidable position which the enemy occupied, 
was all that saved him ; the victory would otherwise 
have been decisive, notwithstanding his obstinate resist- 
ance. Still this triumph will have favorable results to 



310 HOW THE AMERICANS WERE FRIGHTENED. 

the national cause, as it will show to every one what 
can be accomplished when all hearts are united, and 
with one aim. 

'•' The army has done more than could be expected 
under the laws of nature. It had just been formed, 
and as yet had not acquired discipline or military 
habits ; yet in marching to the combat, it overcame 
difficulties which might have subdued the stoutest 
heart. After a march of twenty leagues, sixteen of 
them without water, and without other food than a 
single ration, which was dealt out at Encarnacion, it 
endured the fatigue of combat for two days, and finally 
triumphed. With all this its physical powers were ex- 
hausted. My knowledge of this, and the duty I felt in 
attending to such a number of wounded, constrained 
me, after remaining a few hours on the field of battle, 
to fall back upon Agua Nueva, for the relief and re- 
freshment of the troops. 

" From the impression we had made on the enemy, 
he did not appear before us for three days. The bearer 
of a flag of truce, however, arrived with a proposition 
from General Taylor for an exchange of prisoners, and 
for our sending for the wounded who had remained on 
the field. He also expressed to me the desire which 
the Americans felt for the re-establishment of peace. 
I replied, in order that he might say the same to his 
general, that we sustained the most sacred of causes — 
the defence of our territory, and the preservation of our 
nationality and rights ; that we were not the aggressors, 
and that our government had never offended that of 
the United States. I observed that we could say no- 
thing of peace while the Americans w^ere on this side 
of the Bravo, or occupied any part of the Mexican 
territory, or blockaded our ports ; and that we were 



WHY SANTA ANNA DESERTED HIS WOUNDED. 311 

resolved to perish or vindicate our rights ; that fortune 
might not be always favorable to the enemy, and their 
experience of the 22nd and 23rd should convince them 
that it could ghange ; I added, that the Americans 
waged against us a war of vandalism, whose excesses 
outraged those sentiments of humanity which one 
civilized nation ought to evince towards another ; and 
that if he would go outside of the apartment he would 
still see smoking, which was the fact, the dwellings of 
Agua Nueva, recently a flourishing, though a small 
settlement ; that the same vestiges of desolation marked 
the route of his retreat ; and that if he would go a little 
further on, to Catana, he would hear the moans of the 
widows and orphans of innocent victims who had been 
sacrificed without necessity. 

" With respect to the w^ounded, whom I was invited 
to send for, I replied that there could be none save those 
who had been too much hurt to rise from the field, or 
those most in the advance, who had remained in the 
ravines ; and that as I had not means for their convey- 
ance, the enemy might take them to Saltillo, under the 
protection of the laws of nations. As for the prison- 
ers which he offered to exchange, I told him I did not 
know who they could be, unless it were some of our 
dispersed troops, or some who, from the fatigue of the 
two previous days, had remained asleep when we 
moved. In answer to the courtesy the enemy's general 
had shown with respect to our wounded, I consented, 
in the name of the nation, to release all the prisoners 
we had — those taken both in the battle and at Encarna- 
cion. At the same time I allowed the bearer of the 
flag, who was a superior officer, of prepossessing ap- 
pearance and manners, to take the bandage from his 
eyes, and informed him that it was for him personally 



812 DIFFICULTIES OF HIS POSITION. 

that the honor of this concession was meant. I did it 
also that he might see our camp and our troops. 

"As I have said in the preceding paragraph, we 
remained at the hacienda three days; but the only 
supply we could obtain was ninety beeves, and these 
were consumed on the 25th. The horses were also 
without forage, and notwithstanding all the efforts or 
provisions that I could make, many of the w^ounded 
had been but once attended to, and some not at all. 
From the rigor of the climate, the badness and scanti- 
ness of the sustenance, the entire want of bread, and 
the bad quality of the water used in our former bivouacs, 
a bowel complaint had broken out in the army, and 
rendered ineffective at least one-half of it. I knew 
that a retrograde movement to our former positions had 
become inevitable ; but though everything around me 
proclaimed this necessity, my feelings revolted against 
it, solely because I foresaw that from ignorance, malice, 
or presumption, the countermarch would be condemned, 
and that those who did not witness our situation would 
imagine the possibility of the army's continuing its 
operations. 

" Six days before, when the troops had not suffered 
so much, nor fought for two successive days, nor been 
embarrassed with sick and wounded, but were still sound 
in morale and in health, I had not deemed it prudent to 
augment the labors and difficulties of the army by mov- 
ing to the right or to the left ; how then would it have 
been possible to go on operating after all that subse- 
quently occurred ? But let detractors say what they 
will, the army as well as myself will always answer by 
an appeal to our conduct, our wishes, and the notorious 
impossibiUty of carrying them out. Notwithstanding 
my conviction, I wished to hear the opinion of the gen- 



EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FUTURE. 313 

erals and some of the commanders of corps, and to as- 
certain if they could point out any resource which had 
not occurred to me ; without disclosing my own idea? 
on the subject I listened to theirs, and they all unani- 
mously, and each one, by his opinion separately ex- 
pressed, showed and demonstrated in various ways, that 
however good their will to remain, the countermarch 
of the army had become indispensable, but that this ne- 
cessity was not forced upon us by the enemy. It was 
not till I had heard their opinions that I announced my 
own accordant resolution, and the proceedings of the 
council being drawn up, I had the honor of remitting 
them to your excellency on the 25th. 

*' On the 26th, after 1 had ordered General Minon to 
follow the movement, the army commenced its retreat 
with the view of occupying the first peopled localities, 
where resources might be obtained, such as Vanegas 
Catorce, El Cadral and Matehuala, as also Tula ; but 
I doubt if in those places proper attention can be given 
to the sick and wounded— or the losses we have sus- 
tained in those laborious movements be remedied. 

" The nation, for which a triumph has been gained 
at the cost of so many sufferings, will learn that, if we 
were able to conquer in the midst of so many embar- 
rassments, there will be no doubt as to our final success 
in the struggle we sustain, if every spirit but rallies to 
the one sacred object of common defence. A mere de- 
termined number of men will not, as many imagine, 
suffice for the prosecution of war : it is indispensable 
that they be armed, equipped, disciplined, and habitu- 
ated, and that a systematized support for such an or- 
ganized force be provided. We must bear in mind 
that we have to combat in a region deficient of all re- 
sources, and that everything; for subsistence has to be 



314 THE BATTLE DESCRIBED IN POETRY. 

carried along with the soldiery : the good will of a few 
will not suffice, but the co-operation of all is needed ; 
and if we do not cast aside selfish interests, and petty 
passions, we can expect nothing but disaster. The 
army, and myself who have led it, have the satisfaction 
of knowing that we have demonstrated this truth." 

The following heart-stirring description of the battle 
of Buena Vista will be read with absorbing interest by 
every American. Captain Pike is a poet of no mean 
reputation, and he proved by his daring and chivalrous 
conduct on the bloody field he so well describes, that if 
his commanding general can " ivrite as well as fight." 
he can fight as well as write. Captain Pike commanded 
a company of Arkansas cavalry in the engagement. 



BUENA VISTA. 

From the Rio Grande's waters, to the icy lakes of Maine, 

Let all exult for we have met the enemy again : 

Beneath their stern old mountains we have met them in their pride, 

And rolled from Buena Vista back the battle's bloody tide ; 

Where the enemy came surging, like the Mississippi's flood ; 

And the reaper, Death, was busy with his sickle red vnth blood. 

Santa Anta boasted loudly, that before two hours were past, 
His lancers through Saltillo should pursue us thick and fast: 
On came his solid infantry, line marching after line ; 
Lo ! their great standards in the sun like sheets of silver shine ! 
With thousands upon thousands, yea, with more than four to one, 
A forest of bright bayonets gleamed fiercely in the sun 1 

Lo! Guanajuato's regiment ! — Lo ! Puebla's boasted corps ! — 
And Guadalajara's chosen troops ! — all veterans tried before; 
And galloping upon the right, four thousand lances gleam, 
VV^here, waving in the morning light, their blood-red pennons stream; 
And there, his stern artillery climbs up the broad plateau — 
T«>-day he means to strike at us an overwhelming blow. 



THE RALLYING WAR CRY. 315 

Now hold on strongly to the heights !— for lo ! the mighty tide 
Comes thundering like an avalanche, deep, terrible, and wide ; 
Now, Illinois! stand ready! — Now, Kentucky, to their aid! 
For a portion of our line, alas ! is broken and dismayed; 
A regiment of fugitives is fleeing from the field. 
And the day is lost if Illinois and brave Kentucky yield. 

One of O'Brien's guns is gone ! — on, on their masses drift, 
And their infantry and lancers now are passing round our left — 
Our troops are driven from the hills, and flee in wild dismay, 
And round us gathers, thick and dark, the Mexican array. 
Santa Anna thinks the day is gained ; — and riding yet more near, 
Minon's dark cloud of lancers sternly menaces our rear. 

Now Lincoln, gallant gentleman ! lies dead upon the field, 
Who strove to stay those men that in the storm of bullets reeled. 
Now, Washington ! fire fast and true !— Fire, Sherman ! fast and far! 
Lo ! Bragg comes thundering to the front, to breast the adverse war ! 
Santa Anna thinks the day is gained — on, on his masses crowd, 
And the roar of battle rises up more terrible and loud. 

Not yet ! — our brave old general comes to regain the day. 

Kentucky, to the rescue ! — Mississippi, to the fray I 

Now charge, brave Illinoisans ! Gallant Davis drives the foe, 

And back before his rifles the red waves of lancers flow ; 

Upon them yet once more my braves ! The avalanche is stayed ; 

Back rolls the Mexique multitude, all broken and dismayed. 

Ho ! May ! — to Buena Vista ! for the enemy are near, 

And we have none there who can stop their vehement career: 

Still swelling, downward comes the tide ; Porter and Yell are slain ! 

Marshall before him drives a part ; but still they charge in vain ; — 

And now, in wild confusion mixed, pursuers and pursued, 

On to Saltillo wildly drifts a frantic multitude. 

Upon them with your squadrons, May !— Out leaps the flashing steel I 

Before his serried column, how the frightened lancers reel ! 

They flee amain. — Now to the left, to stay their triumph there. 

Or else the day is surely lost in horror and despair : 

For their hosts are pouring swiftly on, like a river in the spring — 

Our flank is turned, and on our left their cannon thundering. 

Now, brave artillery ! Bold dragoons !— Steady my men, and calm! 
Through rain, cold, hail, and thuiider ;— now nerve the gallant arm ! 



316 THE GALLANT SLAIN. 

What thoucrti their shot falls round us here, still thicker than the hail ! 
We'll stand against them, as the rock stands firm against the gale. 
Lo ! — their battery is silenced now : our iron hail still showers : 
They falter, halt, retreat ! — Hurra ! the glorious day is ours ! 

Iji front, too, has the fight gone well, where upon gallant Lane, 

And on stout Mississippi, the bold lancers charged in vain. 

Ah! brave Third Indiana ! ye have nobly wiped away 

The reproach that, through another corps, befell your state to-day : 

Like corn before the tempest crushed, before your storm of fire, 

Santa Anna's boasted chivalry a shattered wreck retire. 

Now charge again, Santa Anna ! or the day is surely lost; 

For back, Uke broken waves, along our left your hordes are tossed. 

Still louder roar two batteries— his strong reserve moves on ; — 

More work is there before you, men, ere the good fight is won ; 

Now for your wives and children stand ! steady, my braves once more I 

Now for your Uves, your honor, fight ! as you never fought before. 

Ho ! Hardin breasts it bravely !— McKee and Bissell there, 
Stand firm before the storm of balls that fills the astonished air. 
The lancers are upon them, too ! — the foe swarms ten to one — 
Hardin is slain— McKee and Clay the last time see the sun ; 
And many another gallant heart, in that last desperate fray, 
Grew cold, its last thoughts turning to its loved ones far away. 

Still sullenly the cannon roared — but died away at last ; 

And o'er the dead and dying came the evening shadows fast, 

And then above the mountains rose the cold moon's silver shield, 

And patiently and pityingly looked down upon the field ; — 

And careless of his wounded, and neglectful of his dead. 

Despairingly and sullen, in the night Santa Anna fled. | 

And thus, on Buena Vista's heights, a long day's work was done — | 
And thus our brave old general another battle won ; i 

And still our glorious banner waves unstained by flight or shame, j 

And the Mexicans among their hills still tremble at our name. 
So honor unto those that stood ! Disgrace to those that fled ! 
And everlasting honor to the brave and gallant dead ! 

The annexed description of the same battle, is at- 
tributed, whether truly or not it is difficult to say, to 
Don Jose Ho Ace de Saltillo, a Mexican of some celeb- 



A MEXICAN POEM. 317 

rity. It may be proper to state that the poet calls his 
own country Aztec, its ancient name, while he gives to 
the Americans the name of Alleghan or AUeghanian. 
The " sun" of Aztec and the " stars" of Alleghan are 
the banners of the respective combatants. The " pa- 
triot chief" is Santa Anna, the President of the Mexi- 
can Republic, and commander of the Mexican troops : 

We saw their watch-fires through the night, 

Light up the far horizon's verge ; 
We heard at dawn the gathering fight, 

Swell hke the distant ocean surge — 
The thunder-tramp of mounted hordes 

From distance sweeps a boding sound, 
As Aztec's twenty thousand swords 

And clanking chargers shake the ground. 

A gun !— now all is hushed again — 

How strange that lull before the storm 1 
That fearful silence o'er the plain — 

Halt they their battle-line to form 1 
It booms again — again — again — 

And through its thick and thunderous shock 
The war-scream seems to pierce the brain, 

As charging squadrons interlock. 
Columbia's sons — of different race — 

Proud Aztec and brave Alleghan, 
Are grappled there in death-embrace, 

To rend each other, man to man ! 

The storm-clouds lift, and through the haze, 

Dissolving in the noontide Ught, 
I see the sun of Aztec blaze 

Upon her banner, broad and bright ! 
And on — still on, her ensigns wave, 

Flinging abroad each glorious fold : 
While drooping round each sullen stave 

Cling Alleghan's but half unrolled. 

But stay ! that shout has stirred the air, 
I see the stripes — I see the stars — 



318 MEXICAN LAMENT. 

O God ! who leads the phalanx there, 
Beneath those fearful meteor bars '? 

*' Old Zack"— " Old Zack"— the war-cry rattles, 
Amid those men of iron tread, 

As rung "Old Fritz," in Europe's battles, 
When thus his host great Frederick led ! 

And where, O where is Aztec? — where, 

As now the rush of Alleghan 
Resistless tramples to despair 

The ranks of our victorious vani 
Still charging onward, ever — ever. 

They shatter now our central might, 
Where half our bravest lances shiver, 

Still struggling to maintain the fight ! 

Still struggling, from the carnage dire 

To snatch our patriot chief away — 
Who, crushed by famine, steel and fire, 

Yet claims as his the desperate day ; 
That day whose sinking light is shed 

O'er Buena Vista's field, to tell 
Where round the sleeping and the dead, 

Stalks conquenng Taylor's sentinel. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Dark Features of War.— General Taylor's Order.— Letter to Mr- 
Clay and Governor Lincoln.— His private Letter to E. G. W. Butler, 
—His Reference to the Presidency.— Particulars of the Battle of 
Buena Vista.— Notice of Clay, Hardin, McKee and Yell.— Anecdotes 
of General Taylor.— Incidents of the Battle.— Character and Personal 
Appearance of General Taylor, 

Although the triumph of our arms over an enemy 
four times more numerous than the forces under Tay- 
lor, was received with universal enthusiasm by all par- 
ties and classes throughout the country, yet it was pur- 
chased at a sacrifice of life that filled the land with 
mourning, and brought desolation and despair to the 
homes and hearts of hundreds and thousands of wives, 
and parents, and children, and brothers, and sisters. 
Many of the noblest spirits of the nation fell a sacrifice 
on that blood-stained field, and the reflection that so 
much misery and heart-rending distress was spread over 
Ike land with the news that another glorious victory 
had crowned our arms, moderated the joy, and subdued 
the feelings which otherwise would have filled every 
breast. None felt more keenly this dreadful sacrifice 
to the country than the heroic Taylor himself Every- 
thing that a kind and humane heart could suggest to 
soothe the afflictions of those whose friends had fallen 
in the battle, was done. His order to the army upon 
the result of this victory, and his letter to Mr. Clay, 



320 Taylor's congratulations to hi3 army. 

which are annexed, exhibit this fine trait of his char- 
acter in its true Hght. 

On the 26th of February, General Taylor issued the 
following order. It is written in fine taste. It alludes 
in the most modest terms which he could employ, to 
the brilliant victory which our troops have won over 
immense superiority of Mexicans, headed by their most 
distinguished military leader. It pays due honor to the 
brave ofiicers and troops who live to receive the grati- 
tude of their country. It pays a brief but affecting 
tribute to those gallant spirits who have gloriously fallen 
in the battle, but whose " illustrious example will re- 
main for the benefit and admiration of the army," and 
as a monument of glory in the eyes of Europe. It 
treats as delicately as possible all those inexperienced 
soldiers who ingloriously fled, to whom he administers 
the warning lesson of seeking to retrieve their reputa- 
tion by future exertions. It is impossible to read the 
various descriptions of this remarkable battle, where the 
skill of the commanding general in seizing his ground 
and manoeuvring his troops, vied with the chivalry of 
his men, without the deepest emotions. 

" 1. The commanding general has the grateful task 
of congratulating the troops upon the brilliant success 
which attended their arms in the conflicts of the 22nd 
and 23rd. Confident in the immense superiority of 
numbers, and stimulated by the presence of a distin- 
guished leader, the Mexican troops were yet repulsed 
in efforts to force our lines, and finally withdrew with 
immense loss from the field. 

" 2. The general would express his obligations to the 
officers and men engaged, for the cordial support which 
they rendered throughout the action. It will be his 
highest pride to bring to the notice of the government 



HIS HUMANE DISPOSITION. 321 

the conspicuous gallantry of different officers and corps 
whose unwavering steadiness more than once saved the 
fortunes of the day. He would also express his high 
satisfaction with the conduct of the small command he 
left to hold Saltillo. Though not so seriously engaged 
as their comrades, their services were very important 
and efficiently rendered. While bestowing this just 
tribute to the good conduct of the troops, the general 
deeply regrets to say that there were not a few excep- 
tions. He trusts that those who fled ingloriously to 
Buena Vista, and even to Saltillo, will seek an oppor- 
tunity to retrieve their reputation, and to emulate the 
bravery of their comrades who bore the brunt of the 
battle, and sustained, against fearful odds, the honor of 
our flag. 

" The exultation of success is checked by the heavy 
sacrifice of life which it has cost, embracing many offi- 
cers of high rank and rare merit. While . the sympa- 
thies of a grateful country will be given to the bereaved 
families and friends of those who nobly fell, their illus- 
trious example will remain for the benefit and admira- 
tion of the army." 

Glorious as have been General Taylor's military ex- 
ploits, they have reflected less real honor upon his 
name than the humanity he has on all occasions shown, 
as well for his own soldiers as for the enemy, and the 
kindness of heart and remarkable delicacy of feeling 
that characterize all his acts. The following letter of 
condolence to Mr. Clay on the death of his son, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Clay, who fell at Buena Vista, is fraught 
with sentiments warm from the heart, and is conceived 
in language as beautiful as it is feeling. It has been, 
as it deserved to be, printed in letters of gold. 

My Dear Sir : — You will no doubt have received 



322 LETTER OF CONDOLENCE TO MR. CLAY. 

before this can reach you, the deeply distressing intel- 
Hgence of the death of your son in the battle of Buena 
Vista. It is with no wish of intruding upon the sanc- 
tuary of parental sorrow, and with no hope of adminis- 
tering any consolation to your wounded heart, that I 
have taken the liberty of addressing you these few 
lines ; but I have felt it a duty which I owe to the 
memory of the distinguished dead, to pay a willing tri- 
bute to his many excellent qualities, and while my feel- 
ings are still fresh, to express the desolation which his 
untimely loss, and that of other kindred spirits, has oc- 
casioned. 

I had but a casual acquaintance with your son, 
until he became for a time, a member of my military 
family, and I can truly say that no one ever won more 
rapidly upon my regard, or established a more lasting 
claim to my respect and esteem. Manly and honora- 
ble in every impulse, with no feeling but for the honor 
of the service and of the country, he gave every 
assurance that in the hour of need I could lean with 
confidence upon his support. Nor was I disappointed. 
Under the guidance of himself and the lamented 
McKee, gallantly did the sons of Kentucky, in the 
thickest of the strife, uphold the honor of the state 
and the country. 

A grateful people will do justice to the memory of 
those who fell on that eventful day. But I may be 
permitted to express the bereavement which I feel in 
the loss of valued friends. To your son I felt bound 
by the strongest ties of private regard, and when I miss 
his familiar face, and those of McKee and Hardin, I 
can say with truth, that I feel no exultation in our 
success 






LETTER TO EX-GOVERNOR LINCOLX. 323 

With the expression of my deepest and most heart- 
felt sympathies for your irreparable loss, 
I remain, 

Your friend, 

Z. TAYLOR. 

Equally honorable to the illustrious hero of Resaca 
de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista, is the follow- 
ing letter to Ex-Governor Lincoln, of Massachusetts, 
the Hfe of whose son, like Colonel Clay's, is part of the 
price paid by the country for the glory won by our 
arms in Mexico. The letter to which this is an answer, 
was written immediately upon receipt of the painful 
tidings of the death of Captain Lincoln, and of course 
before any certain and responsible information had 
been received from officers in the arm v. 

The letter is in the soothing and delicate strain that 
pervades other similar communications from the great 
and amiable general, showing, that while he has 
courage for a thousand battles, his noble heart is more 
deeply touched by the fall of one brave and accom- 
plished officer than by all the triumphs of the war. 

Sir : — Your letter of the 4th ult., in relation to the 
remains and effects of your much lamented son, Cap- 
tain George Lincoln, has safely reached me. I beg 
leave to offer my heart-felt sympathies with you in the 
heavy affliction which has befallen you in the death 
of this accomplished gentleman. In his fall, you have 
been bereaved of a son of whom you might be most 
justly proud, while the army has lost one of its most 
gallant soldiers. It is hoped, however, that your deep 
grief will be assuaged in some degree in the proud re- 
flection that he fell nobly upon the field of battle, while 
gallantly discharging the duties of his profession. 
14 



HI3 CARE FOR THE SLAIN. 

I learn upon inquiry that the body of your son 
was carefully removed from the field, immediately 
after his death, and that it was decently interred by 
itself. Its identity is therefore a matter of certainty. 
His effects are understood to have been collected with 
due care, and are now under the direction of General 
Wool. 

I shall take an early occasion to convey your 
wishes on this subject to that officer, with the request 
that he will be kind enough to put the remains and 
effects, carefully prepared for transportation, en route 
for New York or Boston, by the first safe opportunity, 
and that he give you, at the same time, due notice 
thereof 

I am, Sir, with great respect, 

Your ob't serv't, 

Z. TAYLOR. 

Everything that serves to throw any light upon the 
character and opinions of a man whose name has 
recently been rendered illustrious by deeds which find 
few parallels in the history of the world, or that relates 
to any of his military achievements, will be read with 
avidity by the American people. With this view, the 
following private letter to a friend in Louisiana is given. 
It will be perceived that he refers to the movement 
of the people in various parts of the country in favor 
of his nomination for the presidency, with the delicacy 
of a truly great mind, and also relates some of the 
events of the battle of Buena Vista, that have not pre- 
viously been dwelt upon. He does not profess, how- 
ever, to give a minute description of the battle ; but he 
presents in a clearer and more authentic shape, the 
grandeur of the resistance made to the overwhelming 



AN INTERESTING rillVATE LETTER. 325 

forces of the enemy, and the vastness of the responsi- 
bility assumed in giving and maintaining the battle. 
Stripped of his most effective men, surrounded by 
armies four times larger than his ov^rn, and in the heart 
of the enemy's country, the gallant old soldier main- 
tained his ground and obtained a victory when even 
his ov/n officers counselled a retreat. It is dated at 
Agua Nueva, on the 4th of March, eight days after his 
decisive victory over the Mexican legions : 

My Dear General : — Your very acceptable and 
interesting letter of the 15th November last, reached 
me on the 24th of December, while on the march from 
Monterey to Tampico ; but the na^.are of my duties 
since then (being most of the time in the saddle,) in 
addition to other matters, has prevented me from 
replying to it till the present moment. Be assured, my 
dear sir, I have not since then lost sight of it or your- 
self; and I feel highly gratified for the flattering man- 
ner in w^hich you have noticed the conduct of the offi- 
cers and soldiers who marched with me from the Rio 
Grande to Monterey, and compelled that place to sur- 
render after much hard fighting, as they fully merited 
the handsome encomiums you have thought proper to 
bestow on them. For this you have my sincere thanks. 

I was aware of the report, as well as statements in a 
few of the public journals, that it was intended by 
certain individuals to bring General Butler forward as 
the successor to Mr. Polk, which gave me no concern, 
and would not, even had it been the case, which I did 
not credit, and which had been forgotten. I doubt if 
the subject would have again crossed my mind, had it 
not been brought to my notice by you or some one 
else. I have never heard him or his friends allude to 
this matter. He (the general), in consequence of his 



326 RErERENCE TO TPIE PRESIDENCY. 

wound not healing, which gave him so much pain as to 
render him unfit for duty, left a short time since, by 
advice of his medical attendant, for New Orleans, 
where I hope he has arrived in safety, and where I 
truly hope he will very soon recover so as to be able to 
take the field once more. 

I may observe that I have been also named as a 
candidate for that high office, the presidency, by a few- 
newspaper editors and others, which has been done 
without my knowledge, wishes, or consent. This I 
have assured all who have wTitten me on the subject ; 
assuring them I had no aspirations for that or any 
other civil office ; ♦hat my whole energies, mental and 
physical, were, and had been absorbed in such a way 
as I thought best calculated to bring this war to a 
speedy and honorable close, believing it was for the 
interest of both countries — at any rate so far as ours 
was concerned ; and that president making should be 
lost sight of until this was accomplished. 

I retraced my steps to Monterey, where I arrived 
towards the latter part of the month of January, and 
where I expected to remain some time to recruit my- 
self and horses ; but a few days after my arrival I 
received information from the command in my front, 
at Saltillo, sixty-five miles in the direction of San Luis 
Potosi from Monterey, that the command — between 
four and five thousand strong — under General Wool, 
had become very much alarmed in consequence of 
about one hundred picked men and horses, belonging 
to the Kentucky and Arkansas regiments of mounted 
men, who were sent out towards San Luis to gain 
intelligence respecting the enemy, and watch their move- 
ments, having been taken ; being surrounded in the 
night, and all made prisoners, by a large force of cav- 



REASONS FOR LEAVING AGUA NUEVA. 827 

airy, about fifty miles in advance of Saltillo. So said 
one of the party who succeeded in making his escape 
the next night, ana getting back to Saltillo ; also that 
the Mexican army was advancing in great numbers 
towards Sahillo. 

These reports induced me to join my advance imme- 
diately. Leaving Monterey on the 31st January, I 
reached Sahillo on tlie morning of the 2nd February, 
with a small reinforcement, which increased my force 
to five thousand, when I lost no time in moving for- 
ward and establishing a camp at this place, for the pur- 
pose of carrying on a system of instruction, as well as 
to watch the movements of the enemy, and where I 
expected to fight him should he move on Saltillo. Here 
I remained until the 21st, examining the several passes 
through the mountains — at which time I ascertained 
that General Santa Anna was advancing and near to 
hand with an overwhelming force. 

Not exactly liking my position, having ascertained 
that he could gain my rear by two roads on my right 
and one on my left, and not deeming it prudent to 
divide my forces, and having apprehensions about my 
supplies, which were in Saltillo, I determined at once 
to fall back towards that place about twelve miles, and 
occupy a strong position between two spurs of a moun- 
tain with a narrow valley between them, where at one 
point the road is so narrow as to permit the passage of 
only one wagon at a time, with deep gullies running 
up to the mountains, washed by the rains so as to pre- 
vent horses or carriages from passing them without 
great difficulty. Said position had been closely exam- 
ined by the topographical engineers, under the eye of 
General Wool, before my arrival, who deemed it admi- 
rably adapted to resist a large army Vv'ith the small 



328 THE ATTACK. 

force which composed our strength. We therefore fell 
back and occupied it on the evening of the 21st, and at 
once made the necessary preparations for giving battle. 

The next day the enemy mad»3 his appearance early 
in the day, and, after reconnoitring our position for 
some time, at 2 o'clock, p. m., I received by a staff offi- 
cer with a flag, a communication from General Santa 
Anna, requiring me to surrender at discretion ; stating 
that in the event of my doing so we should be well 
treated ; that he had surrounded me with more than 
twenty thousand men ; that resistance was out of the 
question — and if I attempted it, my command would 
be put to rout and must be destroyed. In reply, I 
stated I could not comply with his demand, and he was 
at liberty to commence operations whenever he was 
inclined to do so. Soon after this, the action was com- 
menced with his skirmishers on our left, which was 
promptly met by our left, and continued without inter- 
mission, on the side of the mountain, until dark. 

In the morning at sunrise he renewed the contest 
with an overwhelming force — with artillery, infantry 
and dragoons — which lasted with slight intermissions 
until dark. A portion of the time the conflict was 
much the severest I have ever witnessed, particularly 
towards the latter part of the day, when he (Santa 
Anna) brought up his reserve, and in spite of every 
effort on our part, after the greatest exertions I have 
ever witnessed on both sides, drove us by an immense 
superiority of numbers for some distance. He had at 
least five to one at that point against us. Fortunately, 
at the most critical moment, two pieces of artillery 
which I had ordered up to support that part of our line, 
met our exhausted men retreating, when they were 
brought into battery and opened on the enemy, then 



A CRITICAL MOMENT. 82^ 

within fifty yards in hot pursuit, with canister and 
grape, which brought him to a halt and soon compelled 
him to fall back. In this tremendous contest we lost 
three pieces of artillery, nearly all the men having been 
killed or crippled, which put it out of our power to 
bring them off; nor did I deem it advisable to attempt 
to regain them. 

The enemy made his principal efforts against our 
flanks. He was handsomely repulsed on our right, 
but succeeded early in the day in gaining our left, in 
consequence of the giving way of one of the volunteer 
regiments, which could not be rallied, with but few- 
exceptions, the greater portion retiring about a mile to 
a large rancho or farm-house, where our wagons and a 
portion of our stores were left. These were soon after 
attacked by the enemy's cavalry, who were repulsed 
with some loss. 

For several hours the fate of the day was extremely 
doubtful ; so much so that I was urged by some of the 
most experienced officers to fall back and take a new 
position. This I knew it would never do to attempt 
with volunteers, and at once declined it. The scene 
had now become one of the deepest interest. Between 
the several deep ravines, there were portions of level 
land from one to four hundred yards in extent, which 
became alternately points of attack and defence, after 
our left was turned, by both sides. These extended 
along and near the base of the mountain for about two 
miles, and the struggle for them may be very appro- 
priately compared to a game of chess. Night put a 
stop to the contest, and strange to say, both armies 
occupied the same positions they did in the morning 
before the battle commenced. Our artillery did more 
than wonders. 



330 THE ENEMY RETREAT. 

We lay on our arms all night, as we had done the 
two previous ones, without fires, there being no wood 
to be had, and the mercury below the freezing point, 
ready and expecting to renew the contest the next 
morning; but we found at daylight the enemy had 
retreated during the night, leaving his killed and many 
of his wounded for us to bury and take care of — carry- 
ing off everything else, and taking up a position at this 
place. We did not think it advisable to pursue, not 
knowing whether he would renew the attack, continue 
his retreat, or wished to draw us from our strong posi- 
tion ; but contented ourselves with watching his move- 
ments closely. Finding, on the 26th, he had renewed 
his retreat, early in the morning of the 27th the army 
was put in motion for this place, where we arrived 
about 3 p. M., their rear-guard, consisting of cavalry, 
leaving as our advance got in sight. 

I at once determined on harassing his rear ; but on 
examining the state of the men and horses, I found 
that five days and nights marching, incessant watching, 
and sixteen hours hard fighting, had so exhausted the 
first and broken down the latter, it was next to impossi- 
ble to accomplish anything without rest. We remained 
quiet here until the 2nd instant, when I pushed a com- 
mand on the San Luis road to a large plantation called 
Encarnacion, where we found between two and three 
hundred wounded in the most wretched condition, 
besides those they carried with them and left here and 
on the field. Here we took about ten prisoners, the 
main part of their army having proceeded on in the 
direction of San Luis in a very disorganized condition. 

On the 22nd the enemy threw in our rear, through 
the passes of the mountains, two thousand cavalry, 
and early in the morning of the next day, the 23rd, 



A REASONABLE HOPE. 331 

made demonstrations against Saltillo, and throughout 
the day. They succeeded at one time in cutting off 
the communication between the city and battle ground, 
and making several prisoners, but were driven away 
by the officer commanding in the city, with two pieces 
of artillery, covered by about sixty men. They, how- 
ever, while in possession of the road, prevented a good 
many from running off to the city, to which place 
about two hundred of our men had succeeded in get- 
ting, previously to the cavalry occupying the road — 
they, the runaways, reporting that our army was 
beaten and in full retreat. 

The loss on both sides was very great, as you may 
suppose — enough so on ours to cover the whole country 
with mourning, for some of the noblest and purest of 
the land have fallen. We had two hundred and forty 
killed and five hundred wounded. The enemy has 
suffered in still greater numbers, but as the dead and 
wounded are scattered all over the country, it is diffi- 
cult to ascertain their number. The prisoners who 
have fallen into our hands, between two and three 
hundred — enough to exchange for all that have been 
taken from us, — as well as some medical officers left 
behind to take care of the wounded, say that their 
killed and wounded is not less than fifteen hundred, 
and they say perhaps more. 

I hope the greater portion of the good people of the 
country will be satisfied with what we have done on 
this occasion. I flatter myself that our compelling a 
Mexican army of more than twenty thousand men, 
completely organized and led by their chief magistrate, 
to retreat, with less than five hundred regulars and 
about four thousand volunteers, will meet their appro- 

. 14* 



332 THEIR ARMY ROUTED. 

val. I had not a single company of regular infantry ; 
the whole was taken from me. 

I was truly gratified to learn that the chief magis- 
trate of your state had conferred on you the rank 
of brigadier-general of the militia, and had hoped that 
the President of the United States would have called 
you into service as such with the new regiments, and 
hope he may yet do so, as I need hardly repeat the 
pleasure it would give me to be associated with you in 
carrying on this war. The road to the city of Mexico 
from here is now open, and we only want a few thou- 
sand regulars, in addition to the volunteers, to enable 
us to reach that place. What effect our late battle 
will have on 8anta Anna and the Mexican Congress, 
time must determine ; but I sincerely hope it will lead 
to peace. One thing is certain ; their principal army 
has become demolished, and it will be very difficult for 
them to raise and equip another. 

I much fear I have spun out this long, and to you 
uninteresting epistle, beyond your patience even to 
wade through it ; but I have the consolation to know 
that you are not compelled to read the whole or any 
part of it. I will conclude by desiring you to present 
me most respectfully to your excellent lady, as well as 
to my friend Colonel Nicholas, and accept my sincere 
wishes for the continued health and prosperity of you 
and yours through a long life. 

With respect and esteem. 

Your friend, 

Z. TAYLOR. 

The loss of officers in General Taylor's gallant 
division, in the battle of Buena Vista, sixty-five in 
number, exhibits a proportion and result unparalleled 



SKETCH OF MARTYRS AT BTENA VISTA. 333 

in any battle on record, \\hich we can now call to 
mind. General Taylor's effective force was about five 
thousand rank and file ; and allowing one commissioned 
officer to twenty men, the startling conclusion is arrived 
at, that our loss of commissioned officers in this san- 
guinary engagement, amounted to one-fourth of the 
whole number on the field. If the loss of the rank 
and file had been proportioned to that of officers, it 
would exceed one thousand two hundred men. This 
immense loss of officers indicates the most chivalrous 
daring on their part. Colonel Clay was a graduate at 
West Point, where he distinguished himself by every 
quality demanded by his profession. He was about 
forty years of age ; and was in every way worthy the 
glorious stock from v.hich he sprung. Accomplished, 
gentle, generous, and brave, he added to those merits 
the highest moral qualities, and was regarded by all 
who knew him with esteem, and by his relatives and 
friends with the warmest and proudest affection. 

Colonel J. J. Hardin w^as a nephew of Henry Clay, 
and known throughout the nation as an active and able 
member of Congress, from Illinois. He declined a 
re-election from a desire to join the armies of his coun- 
try ; and vvhetiier as a civilian or a soldier, won, by his 
noble qualities, the confidence and esteem of ail parties. 
Colonel Yell was also a member of Congress, repre- 
senting Arkansas. He was a true patriot, and resigned 
his seat for the higher privilege of fighting the battles 
of his country. His letters from the seat of w^ar have 
excited much attention. Colonel McKee, commanding 
the regiment to which Mr. Clay was attached, was 
extensively connected and highly esteemed in Ken- 
tucky. His loss will be generally lamented in the 
west, where he Vv^as justly cherished. Captain Lincoln, 



334 APPEARANCE OF THE ENEMY. 

of Massachusetts, was of the regular army, and acted 
in the staff of General Wool at the time of his death. 
He was breveted for his courage and conduct at 
Resaca de la Palma, and was an officer of great daring 
and merit. He was with Taylor in his successful 
charge upon the Mexicans after the force of General 
Wool had been thrown into confusion ; and was slain 
by a spent ball. 

A writer from Saltillo describes the following scene : 
The first view that we caught of the enemy was when 
they had turned the left flank of our lines, and were 
pursuing the flying infantry and horsemen. Column 
after column succeeded until they formed a dense mass, 
numbering something like twelve thousand men. No 
words can convey to you even a faint idea of their 
imposing appearance. Their arms, brilliantly burnish- 
ed, reflected a million of times the dazzling rays of the 
sun — their rich and gaudy uniforms stood out in bold 
relief against the soiled and tattered garments of the 
"suffering volunteers" — their lancers, drawn up in 
beautiful style, numbering from two to three thousand, 
and in lines, the beauty of which the most accurate 
military observer could have found no fault with ; and, 
added to this, that they were, for the time, victors, I 
assure you we did not look upon them with contempt. 
But when the quick, sharp ringing of our rifles sounded 
the death-knell of score after score of them, three hearty 
Mississippi cheers told full well that no cowardly fear 
paralyzed that little band. Rushing on, our small 
force would have scattered the retreating foe in all 
directions over the death-strewn field, had not our 
watchful leader, Colonel Davis, perceived that we were 
about to be surrounded by an overpowering force, and 
ordered us to retire and rally. 



INSTANCES OF TAYLOu's HUMANITY. 335 

Here an amusing circumstance took place. Major 
Bradford— who is probably the most impetuously brave 
officer who ever drew a sword— perceived us retiring, 
and thought we were defeated. He dismounted from 
his horse and followed on slowly after us, exclaiming— 
" Shoot me ! Shoot me !" Some one called out— 
" What the d— I's the matter, major ?" 
"Ah, kill me! The Mississippi regiment has min, 
and I dont want to live another minute !" 

But the gallant major was quickly undeceived, for 
we soon re-formed, and although our ranks were terri- 
bly thinned by the killed and wounded, yet again was 
heard the deep voice of the noble Davis, " Forward ! 
Guide centre I March !" The command was repeated 
by fifty voices, and with more steadiness and precision 
than the careless fellows were ever known to evince 
on a drill, they returned to the bloody contest. 

What a contrast the humane conduct of General 
Taylor presents, when compared with the bloody atro- 
cities of the Mexicans. His kindness to the wounded 
among his enemies, is equal to that which he mani- 
fested towards his soldiers. It occurred that a body 
of Mexican infantry, about a thousand strong, had 
become detached from Santa Anna's army, and were 
being mowed down with terrible slaughter. General 
Taylor sent Mr. Crittenden with a flag, to say to them 
if they would surrender he would stop killing them. 
When Mr. Crittenden got among them, he was taken 
by them to Santa Anna with his eyes blindfolded. 
This he remonstrated against without effect. When 
he was brought to Santa Anna, he was asked his mis- 
sion. He said he had no message for him ; that he 
was rent to a k a deuched force to surrender, to save 



336 THE HORRORS OF WAR. 

the effusion of blood, and as his errand was unsuccess- 
ful, he demanded to be sent back to his general. 

As an instance of the desperation with which both 
armies fought, Mr. Crittenden, when asked whether 
the Mexicans had taken three pieces of ordnance from 
us, as Santa Anna reported, replied in the affirmative ; 
and said that the guns were not given up until every 
man at them was shot down, and every horse killed 
near them; and, moreover, that in bearing them off, 
the Mexicans suffered a loss of some six hundred men. 
They interfered madly between the retreating guns and 
our men, seeking to regain them. These guns were a 
part of Captain Washington's battery, under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant O'Brien. Lieutenant O'Brien 
was wounded before his guns were taken, and, w^hen 
reporting his loss to General Taylor, was complimented 
for his bravery — it w^as no fault of his. Captain Wash- 
ington was in another part of the field, and sustained 
himself with great coolness and inteUigence, as did 
Captains Bragg and Sherman, with their respective 
batteries — in all but fourteen guns. 

After the battle, says an eye-witness, I rode over the 
w^hole field. Parties were engaged in burying the 
dead — ^but there were still hundreds of bodies lying 
stiff and cold, v/ith no covering save the scanty rem- 
nant of clothing which the robbers of the dead found 
too valueless to take from them. I saw the human 
body piercea in every place. I saw expressed in the 
faces of the dead almost every expression and feeling. 
Some seemed to have died execrating their enemies, 
and cursing them with their last breath — others had 
the most placid and resigned expression and feeling. 
Some seemed to have died defending their lives bravely 
to the last, while others evidently used their last words 



, AN AFFECTING SPECTACLE. 337 

in supplicating for mercy. Here lay youth and mature 
age calmly reposing in untimely death. 

Passing on from this part of the bloody ground, I 
went over to the plain literally covered with the dead 
bodies of those who had so recently been our foes. 
This scene was horrible enough, God knows — ^but was 
divested of some of its horrors by the fact, that not 
one of the Mexican soldiers was either robbed or strip- 
ped of his clothing, nor was there the least appearance 
of the bodies having been abused after having been 
wounded. This, indeed, speaks much for the " barba- 
rous volunteers of the United States of the North," as 
the Mexicans style us. 

Among the hundreds of dead whom I saw there, I 
was much touched by the appearance of the corpse of 
a Mexican boy, whose age I should think, could not 
have exceeded fifteen years. A bullet had struck him 
full in the breast, and must have occasioned almost 
instant death. He was lying on his back, his face 
slightly inclined to one side, and although cold, yet 
beaming with a bright and sunny smile, which elo- 
quently told the spectator that he had fallen with his 
face to his country's foe. Saltillo is one vast hospital. 
Besides our own w^ounded, (four or five hundred in 
number,) General Taylor has collected all the wounded 
Mexicans who were left by their army, and put them in 
the hospital. 

Lieutenant Corwine gives the following interesting 
sketch of General Taylor on the battle field of Buena 
Vista : By way of illustrating an important character- 
istic of General Taylor, to wit, determination, I will 
briefly relate a scene that occurred on the battle ground 
of Buena Vista, during the action of the 23d. At the 
time when the fortunes of the day seemed extremely 



338 TAYLOR ON THE BATTLE FIELD. 

problematical — when many on our side even despaired 
of success — old Rough and Ready, as he is not inaptly 
styled, whom you must know, by-the-bye, is short, fat 
and dumpy in person, with remarkably short legs — 
took his position on a commanding height, overlooking 
the two armies. This was about three, or perhaps 
four o'clock in the afternoon. The enemy, who had 
succeeded in gaining an advantageous position, made 
a fierce charge upon our column, and fought with a 
desperation that seemed for a time to insure success to 
their arms. The struggle lasted for some time. All 
the while, General Taylor was a silent spectator, his 
countenance exhibiting the most anxious solicitude, 
alternating between hope and despondency. His staff, 
perceiving his perilous situation, (for he was exposed 
to the fire of the enemy,) approached him and implored 
him to retire. He heeded them not. His thoughts 
were intent upon victory or defeat. He knew not 
at that moment what the result would be. He felt that 
that engagement was to decide his fate. He had given 
all his orders, and selected his position. If the day 
went against him, he was irretrievably lost ; if for him, 
he could rejoice in common with his countrymen, at 
the triumphant success of our arms. 

Such seemed to be his thoughts — his determination. 
And when he saw the enemy give way, and retreat in 
the utmost confusion, he gave vent to his pent up feel- 
ings. His right leg was quickly disengaged from the 
pommel of the saddVe, where it had remained during 
the whole of the fierce encounter — his arms, which 
were calmly folded over his breast, relaxed their hold 
— his feet fairly danced in the stirrups, and his whole 
body was in motion. It was a moment of the most 
intense interest. His face was suffused with tears. 



ARraVAL OF MEXICAN DISPATCHES. 339 

The day \Vas won — the victory complete — his Uttle 
army saved from the disgrace of a defeat, and he could 
not refrain from weeping for joy at what had seemed 
to so many, but a moment before, as an impossible 
result. Long may the noble and kind-hearted old hero 
live to enjoy the honors of his numerous brilliant vic- 
tories, and many other honors that a grateful country 
will ere long bestow upon him. 

After the battle of Buena Vista, m.any of the Mexi- 
cans who were taken prisoners stated that they had not 
eaten anything for three days previous to the battle ; 
that the army of Santa Anna was in a state of utter 
destitution ; and that unless he could get supplies in 
four days, his army would disband, or that they must 
inevitably starve. Paymaster J. B. Butler says : 
" General Santa Anna is really to be pitied. His men 
are a wretched set. He had twice, during the battle, 
to interpose his lancers to prevent desertion, and they 
shot down some fifty at each time, before he could pre- 
vent the flight of his infantry. The information comes 
from prisoners who deserted as soon as exchanged, and 
came into General Taylor's camp. They report that 
Santa Anna is destitute of all kinds of provisions, and 
that he cannot keep them together." 

It may be recollected that some time since a corres- 
pondent at Saltillo, informed us of a great excitement, 
occasioned there by the arrival of two Mexican officers 
from San Luis, with dispatches to General Taylor. 
They were supposed to be propositions for peace, but 
turned out to be solemn inquiries whether it was the 
general's intention " to conduct the war according to 
the manner adopted by the Camanches." The wrath 
of General Taylor at this preposterous insolence of the 
Mexicans was described as ludicrous, but we have 



840 GENERAL TAYLOR S REPLY. 

never seen his reply till now. In the Mexican papers 
lately received the whole correspondence is given in 
Spanish. The letter to General Taylor was from 
General Moray Villamil, and dated the 10th of May. 
The letter is long, and we have no idea of translating 
it, and the impudence of it was not a whit exaggerated. 
The nature of it will be sufficiently disclosed by Gene- 
ral Taylor's reply, which we translate, although we 
feel what injustice his terse and manly style will suffer 
by the double translation. The letter is said to be 
dated : 

Headquarters, Near Monterey, > 

May 19, 1847. ^ 

Sir — I received yesterday your communication of 
the 20th instant, which informs me that you are in- 
structed by the President Substitute of the Republic to 
address me, with a view to demand from me a catego- 
rical reply — " whether my wishes and my instructions 
are to prosecute the war in conformity to the laws of 
nations, and as war is conducted by civilized countries, 
or as barbarous tribes carrying it on among themselves, 
it being understood, that Mexico is disposed and re- 
solved to accept the manner which is proposed or car- 
ried out, and awaits the result in order to dictate its 
measures accordingly." 

If these instructions were not communicated to me 
through an authority as highly respectable as yourself, 
I should refuse to believe they emanated from the 
Chief Magistrate of the Republic, containing, as in 
fact they do contain, in my judgment, an implied but 
not less deliberate insult towards me and towards the 
government which I have the honor to represent. 
Viewing them in this light, I shall decline giving the 
categorical reply which is demanded of me, w^hich I 



GENERAL TAYLOR 3 REPLY. 341 

do with the respect due to his Excellency the Pres- 
ident. 

As you have thought fit to communicate to me the 
instructions of your government at some length, upon 
the manner in which the war has been carried on upon 
my part, I improve this opportunity to make some 
remarks upon the subject. 

The outrages to which especial reference is made, 
came to my knowledge after they had been perpetrated, 
and I can assure you that neither yourself nor the 
President of the Republic can have felt deeper pain, 
than that which I felt on the occasion. All the means 
at my disposal, within the limits of our laws, were 
employed, but in the greater number of cases fruitlessly, 
to identify and punish the delinquents." I cannot sup- 
pose that you have been so ill-informed, as to believe 
that such atrocities were committed by my connivance, 
order, or consent, or that they, by themselves, give an 
idea of the manner in which the war has been prose- 
cuted in this part of Mexico. They were in truth 
unfortunate exceptions, caused by circumstances which 
I could not control. 

It appears to me in point, to inform you, that from 
the moment the American army set foot upon the ter- 
ritory of Mexico, it has suffered, individually, the loss 
of officers and soldiers, who have been assassinated 
by Mexicans, sometimes almost in sight of their own 
camp. An outrage of this character preceded the 
melancholy affair of Catana. I do not mention these 
truths with a view of justifying in any manner, the 
practice of retaliation, because my government is suffi- 
ciently civilized to make a distinction between the 
lawless acts of individuals, and the general policy 
which governs the operations of an enemy ; but you 



342 GENERAL TAYLOR S REPLY. 

have endeavored to make a comparison between our 
respective governments in regard to the manner in 
which they conduct the war, which I cannot pass 
without remark. In this connection, it should be borne 
in mind that the Mexican troops have given to the 
world the example of killing the wounded upon the 
field of battle. 

As you have adverted to the requisition which I have 
made upon the people of these States to make indem- 
nity for the losses incurred by the destruction of one 
of our trains, I take the liberty of informing you that 
this was not the act of the Mexican troops exclusively, 
but that the rancheros of the country were chiefly 
concerned in it ; and that the subsequent assassination 
and mutilation of the unarmed teamsters were marked 
by an atrocious barbarity unparalleled in the present 
war. 

It is with pain that I find myself under the necessity 
of addressing you in a manner to which I am little 
accustomed ; but I have been provoked to do so by the 
object and the manner of your communication, which 
is objectionable, in my estimation, as well in its insinu- 
ations as in its tone. With respect to the implied 
threat of retaliation, I beg you to understand that I 
hold it at its true worth, and that I am at all times 
prepared to act accordingly, whatever may be the 
pohcy or mode of carrying on the war which the 
Mexican government or its generals may think it 
proper to adopt. I am, sir, with much respect, your 
obedient servant. 

The following anecdotes are told of the old general's 
coolness at Monterey : The first shot fired at Monterey 
was from one of the lono^ culverines, aimed at General 



HIS COOLNESS AT MONTEREY. 343 

Taylor himself, whilst reconnoitring. It struck a 
short distance in front of him and bounded over his 
head. " There ! I knew it would fall short of me," he 
calmly remarked. One anecdote of General Taylor at 
Monterey, told by his staff, has never appeared in print. 
In traversing the field of battle, it was necessary to 
cross a bridge which was constantly swept by the 
Mexican artillery. When approaching it, it was agreed 
that they (the general and his staff) should cross it 
singly at a gallop. Four had crossed thus, when it 
came the general's turn. Just as he reached the mid- 
dle of the bridge, and when the balls were showering 
around him, something going wrong in another part 
of the field attracted his attention. Stopping his horse, 
much to the discomfiture of those following him, he 
deliberately took out and arranged his spy-glass, satis- 
fied himself, and tlien closing it, rode on. 

When General La Vega was introduced to General 
Taylor on the battle field, the latter shook him warmly 
by the hand, and addressed to him the following hand- 
some remarks : " General, I do assure you I deeply 
regret that this misfortune has fallen upon you. I regret 
it sincerely, and I take pleasure in returning you the 
sword which you have this day worn with so much 
gallantry;" handing him at the same time the sword 
which General Vega had yielded to Captain May. 

The following anecdote illustrating the simple habits 
and republican tastes of this heroic, unassuming, and 
excellent man, is related by the committee who bore to 
him the sword presented by the citizens of New Orleans : 
" We presented ourselves at the opening of one of the 
tents, before which was standing a dragoon's horse, 
much used by hard service. Upon a camp-stool at our 
left, sat General , in busy conversation with a 



344 



HIS SIMPLE TASTES. 



hearty-looking old gentleman, sitting on a box, cush- 
ioned with an Arkansas blanket, dressed in Attakapas 
pantaloons and a hnen roundabout, and remarkable for 
a bright flashing eye, a high forehead, a farmer look, 
and ' rough and ready' appearance. It is hardly neces- 
sary for us to say that this personage was General 
Taylor, the commanding hero of two of the most 
remarkable battles on record, and the man who, by his 
firmness and decision of character, has shed lustre upon 
the American arms. 

" There was no pomp about his tent ; a couple of 
rough blue chests served for his table, on w^hich was 
strewn, in masterly confusion, a variety of official 
documents ; a quiet-looking, citizen-dressed personage 
made his appearance upon hearing the significant call 
of ' Ben,' bearing, on a tin salver, a couple of black 
bottles and shining tumblers, arranged around an 
earthen pitcher of Rio Grande water. These refresh- 
ments were deposited upon a stool, and we 'helped 
ourselves,' by invitation. We bore to the general a 
complimentary gift from some of his fellow-citizens of 
New Orleans, which he declined receiving for the pres- 
ent, giving at the same time a short but ' hard sense' 
lecture on the impropriety of naming children and 
places after men before they were dead, or of his re- 
ceiving a present for his services ' before the campaign, 
so far as he was concerned, was finished.' 

" With the highest possible admiration of the repub- 
hcan simplicity of the manners and character of Gene- 
ral Taylor, we bade him good day, with a higher appre- 
ciation of our native land, for possessing such a man 
as a citizen, and of its institutions for moulding such a 
character." 

Nothing, it is said, annoys General Taylor more than 



ANECDOTES OF IIIMv 345 

to have Mexicans come to him and address him in 
Spanish. Dm'ing the year he has been in this coun- 
try, he has learned but one word of Spanish, and that 
is vamos ; the imperative plural of go — begone. One 
day, while encamped at Saltiilo, being very busy in his 
tent, a Mexican came up and commenced uttering a 
long complaint in Spanish. The old general turned to 
Major Bliss and asked — " What in heaven's name does 
the man want?" Major Bliss explained that the Mis- 
sissippians appeared to be taking wood from his house. 
Now, the Mississippi regiment was a favorite of the 
general's, and as they had always conducted them- 
selves well, he was in an unfortunate mood to hear 
complaints against them. So, waving his hand towards 
the Mexican, he told him to " huebos, huebos, hicebos ;" 
[eggs, eggs, eggs !] He had heard some one use the 
word, a minute before, and took it for his favorite word 
vamos. When General Taylor, in January last, ar- 
rived here from Monterey, he encamped near town, 
but was not pleased with the location for an encamp- 
ment. So speaking on the subject with a number of 
officers that had called to pay their respects to him, he 
told them that in a few days he should move the whole 
army to agua ardiente, (the Mexican word for brandy.) 
He meant Agua Nueva. 

The general had occasion to visit Point Isabel, after 
the battle of Buena Vista; and the captain of the 
steamboat had reserved a suit of state-rooms for the 
general's accommodation. There were several sick 
and wounded volunteers on the boat, en route for New 
Orleans, who had to take the wayfare incident to a 
crowded boat, and particularly so on this occasion. 
General Taylor soon saw all this, and at once ordered 
these men to be placed in his state-rooms and proper 



346 ANECDOTES. 

attention paid them. It was rather a cold rainy day 
when this occurred. The deck hands and many others 
on the boat, did not know General Taylor. The wind 
blew high, and the firemen had raised a sail in front of 
the boilers to protect themselves from the rain ; and 
under this sail there were some old mattresses : here 
General Taylor laid down and went to sleep. At sup- 
per-time great inquiries were made for the general, and 
servants sent off to look him up. But he could not be 
found ! At last some one going below inquired of a 
fireman if he had seen such and such a man. The 
fireman said no, but added, " there is a clever old fel- 
low asleep there under the sail in front of the fire !" It 
w^as General Taylor. Yes, sweet indeed must be the 
sleep of such a man, who has the heart to change places 
with the poor sick soldier, as Taylor did on this occa- 
sion ; — such humanity stands out in bold relief, and 
greatly mitigates the evils incident to war. 

A correspondent of the Pennsylvania Inquirer relates 
the following anecdote of the commander of the army : 
" This morning I heard a little incident respecting 
General Taylor, which, at the present time, will be 
mteresting. During the Florida campaign, a certain 
young officer, after receiving his commission, was 
ordered to join the army in that quarter. His first 
duty was, of course, to report himself to General Tay- 
lor. After a very tedious journey, however, through 
the woods, our officer arrived at a small shanty called 
a tavern, about fifty miles from head-quarters, where 
he thought proper to stay three days. There were 
only two visitors there besides himself. One of them, 
an oldish, shabby-looking man, with a black hat, minus 
part of the crown, and a piece of twine for a ribbon, 
was very inquisitive, and among other things asked our 



ANECDOTES. 347 

officei what excuse he intended to make for his delay 
in reporting himself to the general. 

" * Oh,' said the officer, ' they say Taylor is a very 
easy old soul, and I can easily make up an excuse.' 
On going to bed that night, the officer asked the land- 
lord who that impudent, inquisitive old fellow was? 
* Why,' said the host, ' don't you know General Tay- 
lor ?' About an hour afterwards, at midnight, the 
tramp of a horse's feet was heard, making large tracks 
towards head-quarters." 

The night of the 23d of February last was one of 
most intense anxiety to the participators in the bloody 
fight of Buena Vista. After twelve hours of obstinate 
fighting, with final result yet unknown, nothing but 
water having passed the lips of those gallant men for 
the last twelve hours, the flower of their respective 
corps dead or wounded, and the certainty of a renewal 
of the onslaught the next day, it is hard to imagine a 
period more calculated to " try men's souls" than that 
night. After the cessation of the fight, came the lassi- 
tude superinduced by the extraordinary excitement of 
the day ; men fell exhausted, and bivouacked in the 
line — " the weary to rest and the wounded to die." 
The depression of physical energy was so great, that 
neither hunger nor danger could incite them ; that 
bloody field was at 8 o'clock as silent as the grave. It 
can hardly be surmised what were the feelings of that 
" great old man" upon contemplating the results of that 
day's work. No officer sought repose, and the camp 
fires, which on other occasions had been the scene of 
jest and merriment, were now still, and the deep anx- 
iety depicted on the faces of the various groups of 
officers, impressed you with a solemnity foreboding ill, 
that was truly painful. All eyes were turned ever and 
15 



348 ANECDOTES. 

anon to the tent of one upon whom all their hopes 
were placed, but not a light, not a movement could be 
discerned. The occasion made that single tent an ob- 
ject of intense solicitude. Some wondered if he was 
alone ; others would have given their earthly wealth to 
have known the thoughts, the hopes, the wishes, the 
intentions of the old hero ; but all was dark and silent 
as the tomb. Captain L., of the topographical engi- 
neers, had visited the battle-ground at night. He had 
made some discoveries he thought important to be 
communicated immediately to the commander-in-chief. 
On approaching the general's quarters, he overtook his 
servant, who had been attending to his master's cav- 
alry, and inquired if the " old man" was alone and 
awake. ^^ I ' spec he fast asleep, captain, for he eat a 
monstrous hearty supper, and when he eat a big supper 
ke sleep berry hard and sound, and I reckon you wont 
see de old hos' 'fore 4 o'clock in de mornin'. Listen, 
you hear him snore clean out here." When the cap- 
tain made a report of this last reconnoissance, joy and 
satisfaction were diffused through the camp. They 
knew that all was safe. 

Among the volunteers was a " gentleman's son" — a 
full private, who, heartily sick of rainy weather, mud, 
and no shelter, first went to his captain with his com- 
plaints; but meeting with no particular sympathy, 
resolved to have a talk with General Taylor himself. 
Arrived at the commander's quarters, the general was 
pointed out to him, but he was rather incredulous. 
" That old fellow General Taylor ? Nonsense!" Satis- 
fied, however, that such was even the case, he marched 
up, and rather patronizingly opened his business. 

" General Taylor, I believe." 

" Yes, sir." 



A GENTLEMAN VOLUNTEER. 



349 



" Well, general, I'm devilish glad to see you — am, 
indeed." The general retm'ned the civility. 

" General, you'll excuse me, but since I've been here 
I've been doing all I could for you — have, indeed; 
but the fact is, the accommodations are very bad — they 
are, indeed ; mud, sir ! hleeged to lie down in it, actu- 
ally ; and the fact is, general, I'm a gentleman s son, 
and not used to it !" 

The general, no doubt deeply impressed with the 
fact of having a gentleman s son in his army, expressed 
his regret that such annoyance should ever exist, under 
any circumstances, in a civilized army. 
" Well — but, general, what am I to do ?" 
"Why, really, I don't know, unless you take my 
place." 

"Well, now, that's civil — 'tis, indeed. Of course 
don't mean to turn you out, but a few hours' sleep — a 
cot, or a bunk, or anything — would be so refreshing ! 
Your place — where is it, general ?" 

"O, iust drop down — anywhere about here — any 
place about camp will answer !" 

The look which the "gentleman's son" gave the 
general was rather pecuUar. 

"Well, no wonder they call you 'Rough and 
Ready,' " said he ; and, amid the smiles of all but 
"Rough and Ready" himself, the "gentleman's son" 
returned to take his chance of the weather. 

It having been insinuated by some that Major Bliss 
was the author of General Taylor's dispatches, the Ha- 
gerstown, (Md.) Torch Light, administers a quietus to 
that idea, by the following fact, which the editor ob- 
tained from a gentleman who was a graduate of West 
Point, and a class and room-mate of Governor Davis, 
of Mississippi. General Taylor, without doubt, writes 



350 Taylor's ability in composition. 

his own dispatches, and a blessed time it will be for 
the printers, as well as everybody else, when the di- 
rect, concise, comprehensive missives of " Z. Taylor" 
issue from the White House : 

In conversation with General G , of the U. S. 

Army, now stationed at Washington, our friend asked 
the question, if Major Bliss did not write the dis- 
patches. The old general's eye sparkled with indigna- 
tion, and he replied that he had served with General 
Taylor upon thirteen courts-martial, and that he (Gen- 
eral Taylor) had been selected by each court to draw 
up its report, because of his superior ability in compo- 
sition — that all were willing to accede to him the fac- 
ulty of expressing in the clearest, strongest, and most 
forcible manner, the views of the court, and hence he 
was uniformly selected for this purpose. General 

G also stated, that in Florida a misunderstanding 

arose between General Twiggs and General Taylor, 
from a remark made by the latter in regard to some 
military operations of the former. A correspondence 
ensued, which proved perfectly satisfactory to General 
Twiggs. One of General Taylor's communications, 
in which he gave at large his views of the matter in 
dispute, reached Washington, and. General G re- 
marked, was regarded by the gentlemen of the army as 
one of the most powerful military productions they had 
ever seen. This communication seems to have fore- 
shadowed the dispatches, whose fame has spread over 
Europe and our country. One of the peculiarities of 
General Taylor's style of writing was also noted. In- 
stead of having, as is customary, a margin at the side 
of the sheet, General Taylor commences at the extreme 
limit, and fills the sheet so completely, that, as our in- 
formant observed, it is impossible to crowd in any- 



THE SPLENDOR OF TAYLOR S DEEDS. 



351 



where, even a little i. This seems to be^ one of the 
many peculiarities of " Rough and Ready." 

It has been the happy fortune of few men, of any 
age or any country, to have won so brilliant a military 
career by such a rapid succession of splendid and glo- 
rious achievements of arms; and to have established 
a fame upon so firm a basis, by a series of victories 
which throw so far into the shade the deeds of many 
of the most renowned warriors of ancient or modern 
times, as General Taylor has, by the rare wisdom, pru- 
dence, coolness and sagacity exhibited in all his oper- 
ations in Mexico; and especially, by the gallantry, 
heroism, and chivalric courage displayed on the fields 
of Palo Alto. Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
Vista. In all these fiercely contested battles he has 
fought under such unfavorable circumstances, and 
against such overwhelming odds, always in number, 
and generally in discipline and military appomtments, 
as no other general has ever encountered with such 
uniformly decisive success. 

No superiority of numbers, strength of position, or 
advantages in equipments and discipline, has ever, for 
a moment, deterred him from giving the enemy battle, 
or prevented him from marching straight onward to 
the object towards which all his energies have been 
bent, since he first encamped on the Rio Grande. And 
the country fully appreciates his almost superhuman 
efforts to sustain the honor of our arms. The public 
press of the nation has, with a unanimity never be- 
fore exceeded, resounded with his praises, and the peo- 
ple of the whole Union vie with each other m doing 
him honor. Congress, too, as well as the legislative 
bodies of most of the states, have passed votes of thanks 
for his remarkable services, and several of them have 



352 HIS CHARACTER. 

presented him with other testimonials of their admira- 
tion for his character and gi'atitude for his efforts in 
defence of the nation. The legislature of the state 
of New York, amongst others, passed resolutions, ten- 
dering to him, and his officers and men, on behalf of 
their constituents, the thanks of the people of the state 
for their gallant conduct. They were transmitted to 
him by the governor, and elicited an appropriate ac- 
knowledgment. 

Soon after the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma, he also had conferred upon him the rank of 
Brevet Major-General, and on the 27th of June he 
received the appointment of Major-General, which 
was unanimously confirmed by Congress, and was con- 
stituted commander-in-chief of all the American forces 
in Mexico ; and that position he held until Major- 
General Scott was ordered to that country, in Novem- 
ber, 1846. 

An intimate personal friend, one who has known 
him long and well. Colonel Humphrey Marshall of 
Kentucky, has, in the following extract of a speech 
delivered by him, at a barbecue given to the Kentucky 
volunteers, given the following discriminating sketch 
of General Taylor's character. Coming from such a 
source it cannot but prove highly interesting, as it may 
be relied on as authentic. After reading it, none will 
be surprised that a man possessing such high, rare and 
admirable traits of character as General Taylor does, 
should be so honored and loved by all brought into per- 
sonal relations with him : 

" My service in Mexico frequently brought me near 
to General Taylor, and I was industrious in my exam- 
ination of the actual character of the man whenever 
opportunity was presented. I have no motive to 



HIS CHARACTER. 353 

deceive you, and you must take the impressions I 
received for what they are worth. The manner in 
v/hich poUticians, in this our day, are accustomed to 
speak of men, and especially of such as may be eleva- 
ted to political power, is so utterly extravagant, so 
profusely hyperbolical, that after they take hold of the 
character of General Taylor, no description I could 
give would be recognized as bordering on truth. 
Glowing oratory will seize the achievements of the 
general, and dress them off in all the frippery of meta- 
phor, and I doubt whether the man will be regarded, 
or whether he would know his own likeness. 

" I have seen the pictures of him in books, and 
pamphlets, and in prints. Some have the head of Na- 
poleon, others that of Caesar, and some are unlike any 
original I have ever beheld, but none like the general 
I know. So it will be with the pictures the politicians 
will execute. If I tried to express in the fewest words 
w^hat manner of man General Taylor is, I should say, 
that, in his manners and his appearance, he is one of 
the common people of this country. He might be trans- 
ferred from his tent at Monterey to this assembly, and 
he would not be remarked among this crowd of re- 
spectable old farmers as a man at all distinguished from 
those around him. Perfectly temperate in his habits ; 
perfectly plain in his dress ; entirely unassuming in 
his manners, he appears to be an old gentleman in fine 
health, w^hose thoughts are not turned upon personal 
appearance, and who has no point about him to attract 
particular attention. In his intercourse with men, he 
is free, frank, and manly. He plays off none of the 
airs of some great men whom I have met. There is 
an artificial dignity some men wear, to add to a moral 
stature which conscience whispers to them may need 



354 HIS CHARACTER. 

support from mannerism. Some, who would he deemed 
great, preserve their reputation by studied gravity, 
which seems to say — 

" I am Sir Oracle ; ^ 

When I ope my mouth let no dog bark." • 

But a close and critical examination of these always 
discovers fissures in the character fatally blemishing 
the perfection which they pretend to, and preserve the 
appearance of, by keeping at a distance from their 
peers. General Taylor is not of this class of great 
men. Any one may approach him as nearly as can be 
desired, and the more closely his character is examined 
the greater beauties it discloses. 

1. He is an honest man. I do not mean by that 
merely that he does not cheat nor lie. I mean that he 
is a man who never dissembles and who scorns all dis- 
guises. He neither acts a part among his friends for 
effect, nor assumes to be what he is not. Whenever 
he speaks you hear what he honestly believes, and, 
whether right or wrong, you feel assured that he has 
expressed his real opinion. His dealings with men have 
been of a most varied character, and I never heard his 
honest name stained by the breath of the slightest 
reproach. 

2. He is a man of rare good judgment. By no 
means possessed of that brilliancy of genius which 
attracts by its flashes, yet, like the meteor, expires even 
while you gaze upon it ; by no means enjoying that 
combination of talent which penetrates instantly the 
abstrusest subject, and measures its length and breadth 
as if by intuition ; General Taylor yet has that order 
of intellect, which more slowly but quite as surely, 
masters all that it engages and examines all the combi- 



HIS CHARACTER. 355 

nations of which the subject is susceptible. vVnen he 
announces his conclusions, you feel confide :>. that he 
well understands the ground upon which he plants 
himself, and you rest assured that the conclusion is the 
deduction of skill and sound sense faithfully applied to 
the matter in hand. 

It is this order of mind which has enabled him, unlike 
many other officers of the army, to attend to the wants 
of his family, by so using the means at his disposal as 
to surround himself in his old age with a handsome 
private fortune, and to be blessed with an almost per- 
fect constitution. I would to-day prefer his advice in 
any matter of private interest — would take his opinion 
as to the value of an estate — would rather follow his 
suggestions in a scheme where property or capital was to 
be embarked, would pursue more confidently his counsel 
where the management of an army was involved, or 
the true honor of my country was at stake, than that 
of any other man I have ever known. I regard his 
judgment as being first rate at everything, from a 
horse trade up to a trade in human life upon the 
field of battle. 

3. He is a firm man and possessed of great energy 
of character. It were a waste of time to dwell upon 
these traits of his character, for his military career has 
afforded such abundant examples of h^ls exercise of 
these qualities, as to render them familiar to every 
citizen who has ever read or heard of the man. In his 
army they are daily exhibited, and stand conspicuously 
displayed in every order which emanates from his pen. 

4. He is a benevolent man. This quality has been 
uniformly displayed in his treatment of the prisoners 
who have been placed in his power by the vicissitudes 
of war. No man who had seen him after the battle 



356 HIS CHARACTER. 

of Buena Yista, as he ordered the wagons to bring in 
the Mexican wounded from the battle-field, and heard 
him as he at once cautioned his own men that the 
wounded w^ere to be treated with mercy, could doubt 
that he was alive to all the kinder impulses of our 
nature. 

The indiscretions of youth he chides with paternal 
kindness, yet with the decision which forbids their rep- 
etition, and the young men of his army feel that it is a 
pleasure to gather around him, because they know that 
they are as welcome as though they visited the hearth- 
stone of their own home, and they are always as freely 
invited to partake of what he has to offer as if they 
were under the roof of a father. His conduct in spar- 
ing the deserters who were captured at Buena Vista, 
exhibited at the same time in a remarkable manner his 
benevolence and his judgment. " Don't shoot them," 
said he ; " the worst punishment I will inflict is to re- 
turn them to the Mexican army." When Napoleon 
said to one of his battalions, " inscribe it on their flag : 
* No longer of the army of Italy,' " he used an expres- 
sion which was deemed so remarkable, that history 
preserved it for the admiration of future ages ; yet it 
was not more forcible as an illustration of his power in 
touching the springs of human action, than is that of 
General Taylor illustrative of the manner in which he 
would make an example for the benefit of the army. 

5. He is a man of business habits. I never have 
known General Taylor to give up a day to pleasure. 
I have never visited his quarters without seeing evi- 
dences of the industry with which he toiled. If his 
talented adjutant was surrounded by papers, so was 
the general. And though he would salute a visitor 
kindly, and bid him with familiar grace to amuse him- 



HIS CHARACTER. 357 

self until he was at leisure, he never would interrupt 
the duties which his station called him to perform. 
When these were closed for the day, he seemed to en- 
joy to a remarkable degree the vivacity of young offi- 
cers, and to be glad to mingle in their society. As a 
conversationist, I do not think General Taylor pos- 
sesses great power. He uses few words, and expresses 
himself with energy and force, but not fluently. His 
language is select. I would say, however, from my 
knowledge of the man, that he is entirely capable of 
producing anything in the shape of an order or letter, 
which has ever appeared over his signature ; and in 
saying so much, I understand myself as asserting that 
he is master of his mother tongue, and can write about 
as effectively and handsomely as he can fight. 

Such then is the picture of the man — not of the gen- 
eral — who won upon my esteem. I am not in the 
habit of eulogizing men, and have indulged on this oc- 
casion, because I desire to describe to you, with the 
exactness of truth, those qualities which, combined in 
General Taylor, made him appear to me as a first rate 
model of a true American character. Others will dwell 
upon the chivalry he has so often displayed, and his 
greatness so conspicuously illustrated upon the field of 
battle ; I formed my ideas of the man when he was free 
from duty, and had no motive to appear in any other 
light than such as was thrown upon him by nature, 
education, and principles. 

In personal appearance. General Taylor is described 
to be about five feet eight inches high, very thick set, 
rather inclining to corpulency, and slightly stoop-shoul- 
dered. He weighs about two hundred pounds, and 
has remarkably short legs in proportion to the length 
of his body, in consequence of which, he looks like a 



358 HIS CHARACTER. 

much taller man than he really is, when in a sitting 
position. He has a fine head, high forehead, light, 
keen, penetrating eye, indicating uniform good-humor, 
and firm, compressed lips. His hair is almost white, 
his face care-worn, but extremely intelligent, and almost 
uniformly Ut up with a benevolent smile. When speak- 
ing to any one he is in the habit of partly closing one 
eye, is extremely fond of a joke, and ever ready with 
a witty repartee, or a kind word for all who address 
him. He dresses, at all times, with great simplicity, 
utterly eschewing tight clothes, and even a military 
coat. He has an unconquerable dislike for a uniform, 
and generally is seen with a linen roundabout, cotton 
pantaloons, and a straw hat, in warm weather, and his 
celebrated brown overcoat, that protected him, during 
his Florida campaigns, in cold or rainy seasons. 

The most remarkable traits of General Taylor's 
character are the wisdom and foresight with which he 
lays his plans, the energy and promptness with which 
he executes them, and his firmness, decision and self- 
possession in the hour of trial. No emergency, how- 
ever unlooked-for or sudden, no danger, however im- 
minent and threatening, and no contingency, of what- 
ever nature, are ever able to throw him off his guard, 
or disturb his evenly balanced mind. He always 
proves himself equal to every emergency, and rises as 
the dangers that beset him increase ; and the resources 
of his mind are as inexhaustible as his will is indomita- 
ble and his courage unyielding. All his movements 
are characterized by the highest qualities of a soldier. 
Calm, sagacious, resolute, ready ; — with a boldness 
which never falters, a watchfulness never at fault, and 
a comprehensiveness of plan embracing all contingen- 
cies, he has won for himself the very highest military 



HIS MILITARY TALENTS. 359 

renown which it has ever been the fortune of an Ame- 
rican soldier to reach. His letters and dispatches are 
models of military writing, not surpassed by the justly 
renowned " Wellington Dispatches." His manly asser- 
tion of his rights as the commanding general, shows 
him to be possessed of moral courage in as eminent a 
degree as he is of physical. It affords some relief to 
the horrors of this war, that it has brought out to the 
knowledge of the country, and the world, the fact that 
we possess a man and a soldier of such extraordinary 
merits. 

Great emergencies, it is said, produce great men. If 
they do not produce them, they at least bring them to 
light. So it has been in the unhappy war between us 
and a sister republic. A man of simple and unosten- 
tatious habits — who, though possessing great wealth 
chose to follow the profession of arms, and was satisfied 
with the common routine of military life, never thrust- 
ing himself into notice, but simply doing his duty in a 
quiet way — is by the force of circumstances brought 
prominently before the public, and is found to possess 
the highest military talents, and every other quality 
which men are accustomed to admire. In early life, 
and in humble rank, he successfully defended a Western 
fort against a superior force of the enemy. His modest 
dispatch recording the defence, had almost faded from 
remembrance. At a later period, a brilliant victory 
was won by him in the Florida war, and even with 
that we had almost ceased to be conversant. There 
was no crisis of public affairs, or essential risk of the 
national honor, to make these events of historical or 
political importance. In comparative retirement, or at 
most in the command of distant posts, the unaffected, 
though successful commander, passed away years of 



360 HIS ♦appy temperament. *^ *^ J „ 

obscurity. We cannot tell whether this was congenial 
to his feelings or not ; but be this as it may, he knew 
how to " bide his time," and the want of such knowl- 
edge destroys the prospects and usefulness of many a 
really great man. 

How many of our most gifted public servants, im- 
patient of delay, have endeavored to control destiny 
itself, and create the events upon which their advance- 
ment depended. How many bright spirits have been 
shrouded in darkness, before they have reached even a 
mid-day career. General Taylor, fortunate in his 
philosophy as in his temperament, permitted events to 
take their course, tranquil in retirement, and calm even 
when forgotten. But all at once he develops the 
qualities of a great general. In the most critical 
situations his judgment foresees what his valor wins. 
No matter what may be the difficulties around him, he 
meets and overcomes them all. In strategy as well as 
hand to hand, he evinces superior skill, and when the 
nation almost gives him up for lost, again and again 
he sends back to it intelligence that he has conquered. 
In no page of our history do we find recorded four 
such hard fought battles, fought at such fearful odds, 
as those which have placed such laurels on the brow 
of General Taylor, and the brave troops under hi& 
command. The country is astonished to find it pos 
sesses such a man ! 



THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




011897 566 2 



